Denver Nuggets: Which of the veterans will return this offseason?

10 Apr. 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center DeMarcus Cousins (4) during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
10 Apr. 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center DeMarcus Cousins (4) during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
3 of 4
Facundo Campazzo #7 of the Denver Nuggets warms up against the Orlando Magic at Ball Arena on 14 Feb. 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ethan Mito/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images)
Facundo Campazzo #7 of the Denver Nuggets warms up against the Orlando Magic at Ball Arena on 14 Feb. 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ethan Mito/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images)

What will the Denver Nuggets do with Facundo Campazzo?

Facundo Campazzo fell to the wayside with the emergence of Bones Hyland. While he was a serviceable veteran this season and the last, teams had figured him out this season and the Argentinian was struggling to play effective basketball.

Before the All-Star break, Campazzo was playing just over 20 minutes a night for Michael Malone and was a net-negative 10.9 across 54 games. Hyland was elevated after the break and Facundo’s minutes fell to a mere eight per night and he was relegated to garbage time.

When Malone needed a defensive option against the flurry of Steph Curry and Jordan Poole in the playoffs, he tried Campazzo but it didn’t work very well.

Next season will be his age-32 season and it’s unlikely we see the Nuggets bring him back. I believe it’ll be hard to warrant using a roster spot on Austin Rivers and it’s clear that both the front office and coaching staff see Rivers as a better option.

With Denver’s guard depth filled to the brim, it’s likely we see one of Facundo or Austin returning and all signs are pointing towards the latter.