Key dates for Denver Nuggets fans to keep an eye on this summer

The Nuggets have a busy offseason coming up with many major decisions to be made in the coming weeks and months. The next moves are critical ones for a front office led by Calvin Booth as the team tries to get back to the promised land.

They’ll have serious financial limitations and the payroll is rapidly approaching the new second apron that comes with major penalties, not just financial ones, but actual restrictions on what exceptions they can use, what trades they can make, and what they can do with their draft picks. 

Sadly, it’s no longer just a matter of ownership paying different taxes, the rules may actually impact team-building and the Nuggets’ ability to add talent to the roster. So with that in mind, the team needs to be extremely diligent and cautious in making sure their next moves are wise ones.

Key Offseason Dates for the Nuggets

June 25th: Deadline for Reggie Jackson to exercise his player option

Jackson has a player option for $5.25 million. He was surprisingly useful for the Nuggets in the playoffs, but ideally, he wouldn’t be a part of the rotation going forward. There’s a chance that Jackson may want to test the market and see if he can get more money or a longer-term deal but at this point in his career, I would be on him picking up the option and taking the guaranteed money.

June 26-27th: 2024 NBA Draft

The Nuggets have the 28th and 56th picks in this year’s draft. They can move the second-round pick any time and can trade the first-round pick on draft night, but they may also want to target players who can come in and bolster the bench at a low cost. The first-round draft pick is one of the best assets Denver has to work with this offseason.

June 29th: Deadline for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to exercise his player option

This is the big one and ultimately will likely have the most dramatic impact on the Nuggets roster going forward. All signs point to KCP declining his $15.44 million player option and becoming a free agent this summer. He can get a higher payday and likely sign for several more years with a contender. The Nuggets have his Bird rights so they can match any offer, but retaining KCP will make the team very expensive.

July 1st: NBA Free Agency (legal tampering period) begins

Free agency will be huge for the entire league, but the Nuggets won’t have much money to play with. They’ll have to be shrewd about spending and finding useful role players who will accept minimum contracts to chase a ring with the Nuggets.