Throughout the course of the regular season, there are several ways an NBA organization can make improvements to push their team over the top. They could go all-in to make a blockbuster trade for a bonafide superstar or they could take advantage of other team’s negligence and sign a forgotten veteran with championship experience.
However, one of the most common ways for a team to improve their roster mid-season is through the buyout market. Which falls after the NBA trade deadline once a particular player and their team mutually decide to part ways.
These are typically aging players on expiring deals (and a bad team) since the franchise would no longer have use for them and the player might want out in order to chase a ring or a better situation.
Ideally, the team would trade said player to get compensation and rid themselves of having to pay out the remainder of their contract. However, these are generally more expensive players as well that are harder to trade and therefore must be bought out simply to mend the situation.
On the flip side, once the player gets bought out, they are placed on waivers for 48 hours. If after that point no team has bid for the rights to their respective contract, the player then becomes an unrestricted free agent. Which is when contending teams who are a piece away from winning an NBA championship, like the Denver Nuggets, tend to swoop in and make an offer.
While we’re still a couple of months out from the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, a few names have already emerged as potential in-season buyout targets for the Denver Nuggets. Here are a three players to keep an eye on with their respective teams.