Denver Nuggets: Constructing the dream offseason
By Sean Carroll
Denver Nuggets dream offseason: Replace Jamal Murray’s regular season production
When this team is competing for a title, it’s because Jamal Murray is one of the starting guards. Until then, Connelly will have to find a stopgap, someone to soak up the minute load.
Building off the Will Barton section, if he decides to return on a long-term deal or via his Player Option, Denver will be both short on cap space to sign a Jamal replacement as well as have an internal answer.
Related Story. Three ways to replace Jamal Murray's production next season. light
If Barton leaves, some of the free agent guards out there aren’t too shabby. There aren’t many top-tier players that Denver could afford, but there are sturdy veterans and stable young players out there.
Some of the names that could be in Denver’s price range are Derrick Rose, Bryn Forbes, Lou Williams, Elfrid Payton, Cam Payne, Rodney Hood (non-guaranteed contract), Josh Richardson (Player Option), and Cory Joseph.
Rose and Lou would be best-case scenarios as players who can help the offense but be happy taking a backseat when Murray returns. The major issue with those two is they mean a lot to their current teams, New York and Atlanta, and those two teams have more than enough cap space to bring them back.
If the original team wants to overvalue their own players, they’ll likely win the bidding war. If the money is even – Denver can offer a bigger role on a better team next to a pass-first MVP. Hard to turn down.
The less-sexy names on the list like Joseph and Forbes will always be around but they’re very one-dimensional and better off as role players. That’s in a perfect world and if Denver can’t afford one of the favorable signees, they might have to settle for an imperfect fit.
Another way Denver can fill the Jamal void is through the NBA Draft. Drafting late in the first round gives the team a choice of one of the lesser valued players, but there is always the potential for a steal like Denver has been able to do with players like Monte Morris, Malik Beasley, and Nikola Jokic to name a few.
