Every week in the past, Denver Nuggets exec Jonathan Wallace stated 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 major concern was depth.
“Now it is simply including a number of extra items that may simply give these guys, actually, some relaxation,” Wallace stated.
Twenty-four hours into free agnecy, Denver has finished 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 would possibly slot in. He can run level when Jamal Murray‘s on the bench, and he is aware of the way to play off of Murray and Nikola Jokić. He modified playoff video games for Denver together with his chopping, his protection — generally in opposition to a lot greater gamers — and his sheer power.
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 is perhaps much more vital. At that pre-draft press convention, Wallace additionally talked about that the Nuggets needed to “ensure that we discover some extra taking pictures.” 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 isn’t shy. Final season, no group tried 3s as hardly ever because the Nuggets, and reserve guard Jalen Pickett was their solely participant except for Jokić, Murray and Porter who tried not less than six per 100 possessions and made not less than 35% of them. Hardaway, in the meantime, obtained 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, then again, 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 change 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 season league) proves to be worthy of rotation minutes straight away, then Valančiūnas is perhaps a bit superfluous, however that may be 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, however it is perhaps finished dealing for now. In that case, the Nuggets’ rejiggered entrance workplace has efficiently reloaded whereas getting out of salary-cap hell. If this had been straightforward to do, Denver would have finished it final summer season.