Nuggets Free Agency: Paul Millsap agrees to great 3-year, $90M deal

The Denver Nuggets made a big move in NBA free agency by agreeing to sign Paul Millsap to a fantastic three-year, $90 million deal with a team option in the third year.

This is a big day in Denver. The Denver Nuggets actually got their man in NBA free agency. First, the Phoenix Suns were out the way and then the Minnesota Timberwolves left the running soon after. Now, according to The Vertical’s Shams Charania, the Nuggets have agreed to a three-year, $90 million deal with All-Star Paul Millsap.

We’ve seen more players taking three-year deals this summer. With the likes of Serge Ibaka, Jeff Teague and even Toronto Raptors All-Star Kyle Lowry only signing for that shorter duration it’s clear that there’s less money on the market than a year ago teams are trying to avoid overspending on players for too many years.

For the Nuggets, this deal really couldn’t be any better. The key to getting Millsap was not paying an ageing forward too much money for too many years, so a three-year deal and a team option in the third year is fantastic. Being able to clear his $30 million salary off the books if he declines much or to create plenty of cap space for other young players (Jamal Murray, for instance) on the roster when they need to be paid is huge. Having the option to walk away from Millsap’s big money after just two years rather than a potential four is so helpful to the Nuggets’ future.

You should love this deal as a Nuggets fan. Yes, some power forwards need to be cleared from the roster, but that can be arranged. More so than just the good technicalities of the deal, Millsap is going to help the Nuggets immensely on the floor. His skilled offensive game complements Nikola Jokic, with his 3-point range, good passing and strong ability to face-up, attack the basket and get to the free throw line.

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Of course, it’s on defense where Millsap matters even more, though. He’s one of the top defensive forwards in the league, having the ability to help protect the somewhat, cover bigs in the post, and more importantly switch out onto the perimeter to guard smaller players and cover pick-and-rolls. Next to Jokic, who is far too slow on his feet to do the same effectively, this is exactly what the Nuggets need. Millsap’s skill set and overall defensive experience and leadership will help the Denver’s youth and 29-ranked defense a lot.

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If you haven’t watched Millsap much, please don’t overlook how good he is either. He just recorded a career-high 18.1 points and 3.7 assists per game, while ranking sixth among all power forwards in Defensive Real/Plus Minus and third in overall Real Plus/Minus. He’s one of the better forwards in the NBA because he can do so many things well, at both ends of the floor.

The Western Conference is loading up with a ton of talent this summer, from Jimmy Butler in Minnesota to Paul George in Oklahoma City. However, the Nuggets only just missed the playoffs by a win last season without Millsap, and after this acquisition they should project ahead of teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers to make the cut. The Utah Jazz could also slip down the playoff picture without George Hill and, if he leaves, Gordon Hayward.

Furthermore, if the Nuggets can somehow find a way to get Hill now that interest in him isn’t too high (which helps keep his price manageable), they could find a good value point guard upgrade and more defense that way, too. Denver will look more intriguing to players now as well.

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We’ll see how the playoff picture shakes out in due course. But for now, this is just a great deal for a really good player. Welcome to the Denver Nuggets, Paul Millsap.