Denver Nuggets: JaMychal Green declines player option

Denver Nuggets forward JaMychal Green has declined his $7.6 million player option for the 2021-22 season, entering unrestricted free agency this offseason. He will undoubtedly have interest from other teams on the free market but apparently, there’s momentum towards a new deal.

Green came to Denver on a two-year, $15 million deal last offseason after playing for the LA Clippers and partially filled the hole Jerami Grant left.

Green averaged 8.1 points and 4.8 rebounds this past season with the team and shot 40 percent on 3-pointers. He came off the bench for most of the season and spent most of his time swinging between both big positions.

Alongside Green’s free agency, the Denver Nuggets will also have to resign Paul Millsap, PJ Dozier, and Will Barton, the latter who declined his player option a few days ago.

Denver drafted Zeke Nnaji 22nd in last year’s draft and while he was buried in the team’s depth chart, he projects to be in the Nuggets’ future rotation.

Denver Nuggets: What does this mean for their cap space?

The Denver Nuggets currently have around $24 million in space after Green and Barton declined their options, assuming Millsap resigns for somewhere around the veterans minimum, and the team drafts a player with the 26th pick.

The starry-eyed Nuggets fan might see that number and think about some of the big names the team might be able to get in free agency. With momentum towards resigning Green and Barton, this space gets eaten into pretty quick.

Green is in a similar situation to Barton with this likely being their last major contract. Instead of being content with the one-year deal, we could see JaMychal try and get more total value across a longer deal.

It’s a win-win situation if both these major free agents look to maximize long-term earnings as it gives Denver more cap space in the present.

Projecting what the deals will look like, if Green signs something in the three-year, $15 million range, Barton signing a four-year, $44 million deal, and Millsap returning on the vet minimum, Denver would be left with around $7 million in space, and access to the full mid-level exception (MLE).

Those numbers can change, even at age-36, it’s possible Millsap gets more than the minimum, and maybe JaMychal wants to change teams entirely.

But as it currently stands, this is a great position to be in if the two major free agents do resign with the Nuggets. Denver will have the standard MLE, worth around $9.5 million, to upgrade the roster.

On top of that, with Jamal Murray out for most, if not all, of the 2021-22 season, Denver will be able to apply for the disabled player exception, giving them a bit more ammunition to sign a player in free agency or bring someone in via trade.