The Nuggets have gotten some great play out of Jalen Pickett recently, but if there’s one spot on the roster that’s still a bit up in the air, it’s the backup point guard spot. It has been the biggest question mark since day one, but thanks to Jamal Murray’s durability and outstanding play, a big on-ball leap from Peyton Watson, big men who can run the offense, Bruce Brown’s ability to play some point guard, and Pickett’s leap, they’ve gotten by just fine.
Still, there’s a big difference between getting by in the regular season and battling in the playoffs against teams with elite guard defenders like the Spurs and Thunder. Those teams swarm opposing point guards and make life miserable for teams that don’t have multiple, reliable ballhandlers.
It’s not a glaring weakness or anything like that, but adding a veteran point guard to come off the bench would go a long way towards easing any concerns. And from the sound of it, the front office is thinking the exact same way.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on Friday that the Nuggets are “expected to monitor the trade and buyout market in case a notable veteran backup point guard upgrade becomes available”. This makes sense and falls in line with what has made sense from the jump.
Nuggets don’t need another Russell Westbrook situation
Last season, the Nuggets had Russell Westbrook playing the backup point guard role, and he dominated the bench units for better or worse. That’s hardly what Denver wants this season, and they made that clear by letting Russ walk without replacing him with another true point guard.
The Nuggets are sitting $402K over the luxury tax line, which they would love to get under, but that’s going to take some maneuvering. They still need to convert Spencer Jones’ two-way contract, and they’d obviously like to add a backup point guard if possible, so that means they’d have to make a corresponding move to shed some money - ideally Zeke Nnaji.
Assuming they can pull that off, they’ll have some wiggle room under the tax line. They could add a free agent, potentially after a buyout, to a minimum contract with little issue, and they also have a $6.88 million traded player exception from the Michael Porter Jr. deal and another $5.43 million one from the Dario Saric trade.
Using one of those would allow the Nuggets to absorb a player with that big a salary or lower without matching the contract in a trade. So, as good as things have been going, the Nuggets still have some moves to make, and they should have some options as well. Luckily, they’ve earned some leverage with their play, and they won’t rush into any deal that isn’t a clear win.