The Nuggets have some big fish to fry this offseason. They need to get an extension done with Nikola Jokic, figure out if their future involves Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, find a way to navigate Peyton Watson’s free agency, and figure out how to shed money all at the same time.Â
Those are all big-ticket issues that will steal the headlines, but it’s important that the Nuggets don’t lose track of the margins. They also need to use every tool at their disposal to find value with their very limited assets and spending power available.Â
One of the key tools they’ll have to work with is the taxpayer midlevel exception, expected to be worth somewhere between $5 million and $6 million annually. This offers Denver a way to sign a free agent for more than a minimum contract without incurring further spending penalties. It’s not going to bring in a superstar, but it certainly needs to be used on a valuable role player.
The biggest need for the Nuggets is a guard who can put some pressure on the defense, and one player who could fill that void and bring a bit more to the table is Collin Sexton. He was the 8th overall pick in 2018 and scored over 24 points in his third year with the Cavaliers, looking like a potential star.
Sexton would be perfect bench guard for the Nuggets
But he was hampered by an injury, then traded to Utah for a few years before spending last season between Charlotte and Chicago, essentially an expiring salary for the Bulls to take on. And while Sexton’s play has dipped, he could still be a highly impactful combo guard as a role player on a good team. He could also be in a perfect spot to take a short-term discount, in hopes of earning another big payday.
He’s still just 27 years old, and even in one of his worst statistical seasons, he averaged 15.4 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.3 rebounds this season between the Hornets and Bulls on 48.5% shooting, 40.1 three-point shooting, and 85.5% free-throw shooting.
Nobody would call him an elite defender, but he’s a dog, and he can get down and guard. He plays with a kind of attitude that the Nuggets have been lacking, and as much as he can make his mark as a much-needed extra ballhandler, playmaker, and scorer, he can also bring a passion and competitiveness that has been missing in Denver.
The Nuggets clearly need another guard who can create shots outside of Jamal Murray; they need an edge and some toughness, and they don't have much money to spend. Sexton could check every single box this offseason if the Nuggets are willing to be aggressive.
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