The Nuggets’ ownership group talked the talk after firing Michael Malone and Calvin Booth at the end of last season. Josh Kroenke talked about urgency and doing everything it takes to win while Nikola Jokic plays out his prime years in Denver. At the same time, we know that historically this has not been a big-spending team, and multiple sources have reported that the Kroenkes prefer to duck the luxury tax this year.
Well, the roster is currently about $402,000 over the luxury tax with only 14 spots on the roster filled. $400k in NBA money is essentially nothing, but it’s still money that the Nuggets must shed if they actually hope to get under the tax.
But the Nuggets don’t have any small contracts that are easy to move without taking back money. They are out of second-round picks to attach to move Zeke Nnaji or Hunter Tyson. The only option in the trade market would be offloading a good young player as an asset to move a bigger contract.
A cost-cutting trade by the Nuggets would be slap in face to fans
For example, if the only goal is saving money, the Nuggets could dump Nnaji’s contract and use Peyton Watson or Julian Strawther as a sweetener in the deal. But those are players who are helping the team (especially Watson), and giving them away just to shed salary would be an embarrassing move, indicating financial savings are the number one priority.
But we’ll see the Kroenkes’ appetite for spending even before the trade deadline, as the team is eligible to start signing 10-day contracts as soon as January 5th. Given the team’s current dilemma at center with Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas both out for the next few weeks and no other centers on the roster, the team would be nuts not to explore bringing in a cheap stopgap or two.
They’ve got the roster spot and the need is glaring, so the only conceivable reason not to do this would be money. 10 days will just add to the tiny tax bill and create more money to shed before the deadline. Hopefully, that’s not how the owners are thinking, but it can’t be ruled out, and we are going to find out very soon either way.
Nuggets must pay Spencer Jones
The last bit of the puzzle financially is Spencer Jones, the two-way player who has started more than half the team’s games this season. Jones is clearly an NBA player and a guy who belongs in the rotation. But thanks to his contract, he only has a few more weeks left on the roster before his time is up and he must go back to the G-League.
The Nuggets absolutely have to convert his contract and give him the final roster spot, but again, that’s more money that the team will have to spend. It’s not a lot, and it will be great value for a two-way wing player who has been one of the most consistent players on the team this year, but that may not be the calculus for this ownership group.
Hopefully, they understand the situation and see the drastic need to spend to ensure the best chance to win. Title aspirations aren’t crazy at all for this team, but they’ve hit some bumps in the road, and ownership needs to go the extra mile to give them a real chance. Will they do it? We will soon see.