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Denver Nuggets: Free agency update #2

ByGrayson Moore|
The Nuggets kept their win streak alive with a satisfying win against the Charlotte Hornets.Often, this season, the Nuggets have strung together enough good performances that we breathe a little easier and declare they've turned a corner.  That elation is usually followed by baffling defeats to inferior teams.  It's hard to say, with this team, if they've truly overcome the malaise that prevents them from jumping into that top-tier of Western Conference teams.Last night's contest with the visiting Hornets was one of those "trap" games that have plagued this gifted but inconsistent team.  This night was different, though, led by Gary Harris' 27, the Nuggets were able to easily overcome the Hornets, 121-104, leading to further speculation that the Nuggets have shed the underachiever label and graduated to that next level.The win put the Nuggets back into the 6th spot in the Western Conference playoff race, a single game behind 5th place OKC.  Nikola Jokic led with 16 rebounds and Will Barton handed out a team high 8 assists.  Among the starters, only Wilson Chandler did not score in double-digits. The bench performed well, with Lyles, Mudiay and DA combining for 33 points, and Torrey Craig matching Lyles with 7 boards.  Craig had a scare late on a high-flying block attempt (They say Flagrant 1 on  DA, I say clean block.).Over the summer, I wrote about the Nuggets need to stay the course.  My contention was, that, for the 2018-19 season, there is virtually no pathway to a championship for this young team.  Without the addition of several, proven, top players, there is little chance that the Nuggets could beat the Warriors or Rockets over a 7-game series.  The wise path forward, then is to develop the incredible amount of talent this team has cultivated and be prepared for when it is their time.The central theme of my piece was that our core, at full potential, is better than anything we could get in trade or through free agency.  Put another way, at the top of their game, there's not another Center, Shooting Guard or Point that I'd rather have in Denver than Jokic, Harris and Murray.  By way of support, I point to our 2-2 record against the Champs and the last week of games.  This team is on the verge of breaking through.This is specifically why I bristle at the rumored trade scenarios out there for the Nuggets.  There is no value in making moves just to make moves.  I can't make the case that this team would be markedly improved by the addition of Kemba Walker, Elfrid Payton, Marcus Smart or any of the proposed PG swaps that we've heard (Collison?).  We saw Kemba last night, we've seen Payton, I just don't see that their games would improve the Nuggets fortunes enough to mess with what has become great chemistry on this team. If we need a lesson on what damaging team chemistry can do to a tight team, we need look no further than across I-25 to the aftermath of the Broncos decision to part ways with TJ Ward.  A seemingly small move, with a rising stud coming up behind him in Justin Simmons but it had an impact on a secondary that had finished first in the NFL two consecutive years.I get that professional sports are a business.  I get that an immeasurable value like "chemistry" is difficult to attach a lot of team resources to but if this team has turned a corner and is competing and beating the top teams in the league, what need is there to upend that?  We are already facing the imminent return and reintegration of Paul Millsap, which for all intents and purposes will be like acquiring him via trade. The fan base is easily placated with wins, so there's no need to appease them.  The Nuggets have the highest increase in attendance in the league, they just had the largest crowd in their Pepsi Center history.  They are smiling, they are enjoying this (Gary Harris declining to get posterized by Dwight Howard was classic).  Until they show signs of regression, someone is going to have to explain to me why there's such a push to make a move before the trade deadline on Thursday.This will, of course, all be put to the test on Friday against a Rockets team that's pushing Golden State for the top record in the league.  James Harden is playing the best basketball of his career and looks unstoppable.  It's fitting, then that whatever team the Nuggets roll into Houston with is the team they will carry to the end of the season.  I for one, believe in this team, as constituted.  It's been fun to fantasize about what-if scenarios for LeBron or Kawhi but the realistic prospects for the Nuggets don't justify tinkering with a team that's playing as good as any in the League.As we saw last night, the Nuggets are fully capable of powering through trap games, coming off of big wins.  If that maintains, it's one of the final hurdles to this team making some postseason noise and one step closer to NBA legitimacy.
The Nuggets kept their win streak alive with a satisfying win against the Charlotte Hornets.Often, this season, the Nuggets have strung together enough good performances that we breathe a little easier and declare they've turned a corner.  That elation is usually followed by baffling defeats to inferior teams.  It's hard to say, with this team, if they've truly overcome the malaise that prevents them from jumping into that top-tier of Western Conference teams.Last night's contest with the visiting Hornets was one of those "trap" games that have plagued this gifted but inconsistent team.  This night was different, though, led by Gary Harris' 27, the Nuggets were able to easily overcome the Hornets, 121-104, leading to further speculation that the Nuggets have shed the underachiever label and graduated to that next level.The win put the Nuggets back into the 6th spot in the Western Conference playoff race, a single game behind 5th place OKC.  Nikola Jokic led with 16 rebounds and Will Barton handed out a team high 8 assists.  Among the starters, only Wilson Chandler did not score in double-digits. The bench performed well, with Lyles, Mudiay and DA combining for 33 points, and Torrey Craig matching Lyles with 7 boards.  Craig had a scare late on a high-flying block attempt (They say Flagrant 1 on  DA, I say clean block.).Over the summer, I wrote about the Nuggets need to stay the course.  My contention was, that, for the 2018-19 season, there is virtually no pathway to a championship for this young team.  Without the addition of several, proven, top players, there is little chance that the Nuggets could beat the Warriors or Rockets over a 7-game series.  The wise path forward, then is to develop the incredible amount of talent this team has cultivated and be prepared for when it is their time.The central theme of my piece was that our core, at full potential, is better than anything we could get in trade or through free agency.  Put another way, at the top of their game, there's not another Center, Shooting Guard or Point that I'd rather have in Denver than Jokic, Harris and Murray.  By way of support, I point to our 2-2 record against the Champs and the last week of games.  This team is on the verge of breaking through.This is specifically why I bristle at the rumored trade scenarios out there for the Nuggets.  There is no value in making moves just to make moves.  I can't make the case that this team would be markedly improved by the addition of Kemba Walker, Elfrid Payton, Marcus Smart or any of the proposed PG swaps that we've heard (Collison?).  We saw Kemba last night, we've seen Payton, I just don't see that their games would improve the Nuggets fortunes enough to mess with what has become great chemistry on this team. If we need a lesson on what damaging team chemistry can do to a tight team, we need look no further than across I-25 to the aftermath of the Broncos decision to part ways with TJ Ward.  A seemingly small move, with a rising stud coming up behind him in Justin Simmons but it had an impact on a secondary that had finished first in the NFL two consecutive years.I get that professional sports are a business.  I get that an immeasurable value like "chemistry" is difficult to attach a lot of team resources to but if this team has turned a corner and is competing and beating the top teams in the league, what need is there to upend that?  We are already facing the imminent return and reintegration of Paul Millsap, which for all intents and purposes will be like acquiring him via trade. The fan base is easily placated with wins, so there's no need to appease them.  The Nuggets have the highest increase in attendance in the league, they just had the largest crowd in their Pepsi Center history.  They are smiling, they are enjoying this (Gary Harris declining to get posterized by Dwight Howard was classic).  Until they show signs of regression, someone is going to have to explain to me why there's such a push to make a move before the trade deadline on Thursday.This will, of course, all be put to the test on Friday against a Rockets team that's pushing Golden State for the top record in the league.  James Harden is playing the best basketball of his career and looks unstoppable.  It's fitting, then that whatever team the Nuggets roll into Houston with is the team they will carry to the end of the season.  I for one, believe in this team, as constituted.  It's been fun to fantasize about what-if scenarios for LeBron or Kawhi but the realistic prospects for the Nuggets don't justify tinkering with a team that's playing as good as any in the League.As we saw last night, the Nuggets are fully capable of powering through trap games, coming off of big wins.  If that maintains, it's one of the final hurdles to this team making some postseason noise and one step closer to NBA legitimacy.
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DENVER, CO – JANUARY 19: General Manager Tim Connelly of the Denver Nuggets talks to the media before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 19, 2016 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 2016 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – JANUARY 19: General Manager Tim Connelly of the Denver Nuggets talks to the media before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 19, 2016 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 2016 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

The NBA is experiencing one of the most bizarre, exhilarating, and confusing free agencies in its extensive history.

LeBron James officially went to the Lakers, Demarcus Cousins signed with the Warriors, Paul George didn’t go to the Lakers. It’s been pretty crazy, to say the least. But what do all of the moves(and the non-moves) mean for the Nuggets? Let’s take a look at how the NBA landscape is shaping up for Denver.

(Note: All stats are via Basketball-Reference unless otherwise noted.)

Nuggets Signings

The Nuggets have only signed two players in free agency who weren’t on the roster last year. They are both 2018 draft picks.

Michael Porter Jr.

ESPN reported July 3rd that Denver had signed Michael Porter Jr., the 14th pick in the latest draft, to a multiyear deal. Although the exact salary has not yet been reported, according to the Denver Post, “the rookie scale for the 14th overall pick is $2.4 million in 2018-19.” It was later reported that it was a 4-year contract, as is customary with 1st round draft picks.

Thomas Welsh

Harrison Wind of BSNDenver reported July 4th that the Nuggets had inked Thomas Welsh to a two-way contract for the 2018-19 season. Welsh was selected with the 58th pick in the 2018 draft.

This leaves the Nuggets with 1 more two-way contract to give out, likely reserved for either Monte Morris or Jarred Vanderbilt.

Nuggets Re-signings

There is not much to report on this front.

The Denver Nuggets still have four players from last year’s roster who have yet to ink a new deal, in the Mile High or anywhere else.

Torrey Craig

According to the Denver Post, Torrey Craig, the feel-good two-way wing signed by the Nuggets last year, received a qualifying offer before free agency started in late June. This means that Denver can match any contract he signs with another team, or he can accept the likely minimum salary that comes with the qualifying offer.

The man known as the “G-League LeBron James” was one of the best defenders on the Nuggets team in the 2017-18 season, amassing 0.4 defensive win shares in just 629 total minutes and he also had the 6th best defensive box plus/minus on the team.

That leaves three men whose fate is yet to be decided.