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Denver Nuggets: Free agency update, day one

By Grayson Moore

Cleveland Cavaliers v Denver NuggetsDENVER, CO - MARCH 7: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets on March 7, 2018 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)Getty ID: 929060806
Cleveland Cavaliers v Denver NuggetsDENVER, CO - MARCH 7: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets on March 7, 2018 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)Getty ID: 929060806 /
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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Butterfly Effect Moves

What do I mean by butterfly effect? Basically, moves that don’t directly impact the Nuggets, but could in the future. For example, the Phoenix Suns have signed Trevor Ariza to a 1 year, $15 million deal according to Shams Charania. This move made the Phoenix Suns, a young team with one of the best scorers in the league in Devin Booker that also just added Deandre Ayton, even better.

They could now be a borderline playoff team, which means another team for the Nuggets to contend with. It also means the Rockets lost their starting small forward, which makes them even less of a contender and means the Nuggets will likely have more of a chance of beating them when they go head to head. That’s one example of the butterfly effect. Let’s look at a few more.

Paul George and Jerami Grant Re-sign in OKC

OAKLAND, CA – FEBRUARY 06: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder is congratulated by Jerami Grant #9 after George scored and was fouled against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of their NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on February 6, 2018, in Oakland, California.  (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – FEBRUARY 06: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder is congratulated by Jerami Grant #9 after George scored and was fouled against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of their NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on February 6, 2018, in Oakland, California.  (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Jerami Grant re-signed with the Thunder on a 3 year, $27 million deal and Paul George resigned on a 4 year, $137 million max deal. Both deals have player options and keep the forwards in OKC for the foreseeable future. What does it mean for the Nuggets?

It means the Thunder remain playoff candidates in the West and it means they will keep two of the best players in the league on their roster, which makes them borderline title contenders. It means they will be harder to beat, not just by the Nuggets, but by every team. While division standings basically mean nothing in terms of the playoffs, the Nuggets and Thunder are in the same division, so this means that Denver will have to play more games against a better roster.

It also means that the incredibly small chance of Denver signing Paul George has now become a 0% chance. Since it basically already was a 0% chance, Denver doesn’t really miss out on anything, but the fact that one of the best players in the league signed somewhere other than Denver for a long time isn’t a good thing for the Nuggets.

Gerald Green Returns to Rockets

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 9: Gerald Green #14 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets on February 9, 2018, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.  Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 9: Gerald Green #14 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets on February 9, 2018, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.  Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Michael Scotto of The Athletic reported that Gerald Green had re-signed with the Rockets on a 1 year, $2.4 million deal. This means the Rockets will return the athletic sixth man who averaged 12.1 points per game on just 22.7 minutes per game last season. He could either have a similar bench role as it was last season, or, with Trevor Ariza leaving, could start at the 3. Either way, the Rockets, a Western Conference rival, retain depth and scoring and the Nuggets lose out on a possible cheap option to add to the team. However, the short and inexpensive deal means that he could be available on the open market next year, or maybe even sooner if the Rockets decide to waive him sometime in the season.

Tyler Ulis is Waived by the Phoenix Suns

TARRYTOWN, NY – AUGUST 7: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets and Tyler Ulis #8 of the Phoenix Suns during the 2016 NBA rookie photo shoot on August 7, 2016, at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility in Tarrytown, New York.  Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images)
TARRYTOWN, NY – AUGUST 7: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets and Tyler Ulis #8 of the Phoenix Suns during the 2016 NBA rookie photo shoot on August 7, 2016, at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility in Tarrytown, New York.  Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Wojnarowski(who else) reported that the Suns had waived PG Tyler Ulis to get more cap space. Not only does that mean that a possible backup point guard option is now available for the Nuggets, but it caused rifts within the Suns organization. Shams Charania reported that Devin Booker is not happy with the front office as he was good friends with Ulis. This could impact his morale for the upcoming season, which could affect his play. It could also mean that maybe he doesn’t want to resign in Phoenix after this season when he will be a restricted free agent.

This means that the Nuggets could sweep in and add another borderline All-Star to their team. They will be shedding almost $35 million in salary after the 2018-19 season and with a few trades, they could clear up enough space to offer him a 4-year max contract. If Booker signed the deal and made it clear he did not want to be in Phoenix, they would have no choice but to let him go. This is a pretty unlikely scenario, however. What would more likely happen is he signs somewhere like LA and makes life even harder for the Nuggets.

But a fan can dream. A team with the scoring ability of Murray, Harris, Jokic, Barton, and Booker would be basically impossible to stop on the offensive end. It presents a lot of defensive problems, however, so even if he’s interested in leaving Phoenix, the Nuggets could be better off staying away from him.

Next: Top 10 defenders in Denver history

That does it for day one of the Nuggets free agency updates. Check back soon for more news.