Per week in the past, Denver Nuggets exec Jonathan Wallace mentioned the group was “additional alongside” than it might have appeared. They needed to be “deliberate” within the offseason, he told reporters, however, with the very best participant on the earth on the roster and an elite beginning 5, their main concern was depth.
“Now it is simply including a couple of extra items that may simply give these guys, truthfully, some relaxation,” Wallace mentioned.
Twenty-four hours into free agnecy, Denver has accomplished that. After Monday’s big trade, which despatched Michael Porter Jr. (and an unprotected 2032 first-round decide) to the Brooklyn Nets for Cam Johnson, the Nuggets have added three veterans to their bench: Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valančiūnas.
Brown, 28, performed a key position in Denver’s 2023 title run, however left that offseason when the Indiana Pacers provided him a two-year, $45 million contract. He is returning on a one-year deal for the minimal, according to The Athletic, and the Nuggets do not have to fret about how he may slot in. He can run level when Jamal Murray‘s on the bench, and he is aware of play off of Murray and Nikola Jokić. He modified playoff video games for Denver along with his reducing, his protection — generally towards a lot larger gamers — and his sheer vitality.
Hardaway, 33, additionally arrived on a minimal deal, according to the Denver Post. He isn’t the defender that Brown is, however, due to the Nuggets’ explicit wants, this signing could be much more important. At that pre-draft press convention, Wallace additionally talked about that the Nuggets needed to “be sure that we discover some extra capturing.” This has been obvious for some time, and it was made much more clear when the Oklahoma City Thunder successfully dared the Nuggets’ position gamers to shoot 3s within the second spherical of the playoffs. That Denver took the eventual champs to seven video games regardless of making solely 31.5% of its 3-point makes an attempt was a feat in itself.
Hardaway’s 3-point accuracy has fluctuated: within the final six years, he has shot a cumulative 37.4% from deep, however that quantity has been as little as 33.6% and as excessive as 39.8% in particular person seasons. No matter whether or not the photographs are falling, although, he’s not shy. Final season, no group tried 3s as not often because the Nuggets, and reserve guard Jalen Pickett was their solely participant except for Jokić, Murray and Porter who tried no less than six per 100 possessions and made no less than 35% of them. Hardaway, in the meantime, acquired up 10.1 per 100, and that that was his lowest 3-point frequency since 2016-17.
Johnson, Brown and Hardaway are going to have the time of their lives taking part in with Jokić. The 33-year-old Valančiūnas, alternatively, ought to assist stabilize Denver within the non-Jokić minutes. He’s a transparent improve over Dario Šarić, whom the Nuggets despatched to the Sacramento Kings in trade for Valančiūnas, and I’m personally trying ahead to watching him gobble up offensive rebounds and bully backup bigs. If DaRon Holmes II (who has but to play an NBA recreation after tearing his Achilles at summer time league) proves to be worthy of rotation minutes instantly, then Valančiūnas could be a bit superfluous, however that may be a great drawback.
Denver is now barely over the luxury-tax line with 14 gamers beneath contract, per capsheets.com. It has a $16.8 million commerce exception from the Porter-Johnson swap, nevertheless it could be accomplished dealing for now. If that’s the case, the Nuggets’ rejiggered entrance workplace has efficiently reloaded whereas getting out of salary-cap hell. If this had been simple to do, Denver would have accomplished it final summer time.
