Nuggets president gives wishy-washy statement about spending above the 2nd apron

There was plenty of debate this offseason about the Nuggets’ strategy, specifically letting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk in free agency. The team had the means to keep him and match any deal, but the team’s salary cap would have exceeded the new second apron and caused major expenses and other punitive actions.

Ultimately, the move was seen by many as ownership getting cheap and actively choosing not to pay more in taxes to keep the starting lineup together. The company line, of course, was that the team wanted to retain flexibility in roster building for the future.

Either way, the decision was controversial at best and may end up disastrous if the Nuggets’ young players aren’t able to take on bigger loads. But the bigger question was whether or not this move indicates that the Nuggets will never spend into the second apron going forward.

It’s fair and reasonable to wonder if ownership views the second apron as a hard cap and will flatly refuse to spend above it. One could argue that if ever there was a time to do it, this offseason was the time.

Josh Kroenke was asked if the Nuggets view the 2nd apron as a hard cap

But team president, Josh Kroenke was asked that exact question recently by Bennett Durando of the Denver Post, and as for the Nuggets viewing the second apron as a hard cap, Kroenke replied, “Not necessarily.”

But Kroenke immediately qualified the statement by vaguely referencing the new CBA and new rules that will make it tough to do so. Overall, the answers were unsatisfying and didn’t really clear anything up in the grand scheme of things.

Owner and coach speak at press conferences should always be taken with a grain of salt and as always, actions speak louder than words. There’s no reason to give the Kroenke’s the benefit of the doubt and assume that they will pay over the second apron when they literally just balked at the opportunity to do so, instead splitting up the 2023 title-winning starting five.

The Nuggets may have created some temporary financial flexibility this offseason, but it’s a small buffer. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon are both due big extensions and young players like Christian Braun and Peyton Watson will come calling for bigger paydays before long. 

The second apron isn’t going away and it’s likely to be a problem that Nuggets fans are hearing about for years to come. Get used to it; this is the new reality of the NBA and a new limit on spending for many teams.