After opting out of his player option in late July, Will Barton re-signed with the Denver Nuggets on a reported two-year $32 million deal. Both the Denver Nuggets and WIll Barton himself were reportedly keen on extending the veteran wings stay, with head coach Michael Malone having this to say;
"“Of course I hope he’s back…he means a ton to me personally. He means a ton to this team.”"
Barton has been with the Nuggets since the 2014 season and has grown with the team as they’ve positioned themselves as serious contenders in the Western Conference. This isn’t the first time Will Barton has hit free agency and re-signed with the Denver Nuggets either; he did so back in 2018 too and had this to say at the time;
"“I knew the whole time I wanted to be here, but I also know it’s a business. Once we started talking more and more in the process and the business came together, I knew that it was a no-brainer. This is where I wanted to be.”"
It’s fair to say that Barton and the Nuggets have mutual respect, both from a basketball and professional standpoint. That relationship, we can assume, was a key factor in Barton extending his stay in the mile-high city for another two years.
The signing gives Denver a known commodity and provides Barton with an extended window of contention. Still, it also gives the roster an added boost from a moral and continuity standpoint which we will explore further in this article.
3 reasons to love re-signing Will Barton: Continuity
It’s rare that a team that undergoes a major reconstruction surfaces from the playoffs as an NBA champion. Usually, a re-constructed roster takes a year or two to gel before their individual superpowers can be fused to create a basketball powerhouse.
Often, we get far too caught up in how a team looks on paper and give far too little credit to a team’s unity and willingness to fight for each other. In all honesty, there needs to be a mix of star power and unbreakable team spirit – something that no one can accuse the Denver Nuggets of lacking.
In bringing back Will Barton (along with JaMychal Green), the Nuggets are doubling down on a roster short-changed by injuries last season. When a front office decides to run it back in this manner, they’re essentially telling the team, “we think you’re good enough,” which is an enormous morale booster and fosters a sense of loyalty between both parties.
Will Barton committing to the Nuggets project proves the strides the franchise has made in recent seasons. You have to love that.
3 reasons to love re-signing Will Barton: Better the devil you know
In Will Barton, the Denver Nuggets have a player they know inside and out. Barton’s teammates know his sweet spots, weak points, and tendencies on both sides of the floor. There’s no bedding in process or waiting for a new signing to find their feet within the offense.
Will Barton has been molded into the perfect cog for Michael Malone’s offense, as shown by his 20 percent usage rate (on average) throughout his Denver Nuggets career – per Cleaning The Glass.
The feeling-out process works both ways, too, as Barton doesn’t need to find a new place to live, learn a new offense, or figure out new teammates. Rather, both sides can continue with business as usual, with a laser focus on righting the cosmic wrongs of last season.
Furthermore, there’s little-to-no risk factor in this deal. Both sides understand the partnership they’re entering into; it’s not like a new signing that carries a great risk of being a square peg for a round hole – the fit is already battle-tested and universally accepted as beneficial to both parties.
For a contending team, it’s always better the devil, you know – that’s why so many coaches on contending teams bring in players they’ve previously worked with. They say familiarity breeds contempt, but it breeds successful relationships in the NBA and potential large-scale success in Will Barton’s case.
3 reasons to love re-signing Will Barton: Best option available
Entering the off-season, the Denver Nuggets cap space was already looking barren. The team’s most logical option was to utilize the bird rights it held for its expiring players and look to strike deals with the likes of Will Barton and JaMychal Green. Newsflash, this is precisely what the Nuggets did.
It was almost inconceivable that the Nuggets would come away with a player of similar talent to Barton had the veteran wing taken his talents elsewhere this summer.
Barton certainly had other offers, possibly for a higher annual salary. Still, luckily the teams who were players on the free-agent market didn’t project as contending hopefuls – something which likely featured in Will Barton’s decision to remain in Denver.
For Nuggets fans, there’s no bigger reason to love the re-signing of Will Barton than the fact that, on the free-agent market, there was no single player (who the Nuggets could afford) that would have filled the void left by his departure.
Barring a trade, the Nuggets would have been a worse team this season had Barton left, retaining him a huge win for the organization and their championship aspirations.