The first thing he did was move JaMychal Green. He’s had to make some ruthless and calculating decisions already. He jumped at it, and the Nuggets decided not to match.īooth said he never expected to be stewarding or guiding a team of this caliber for his first job. All he wanted was an extension here and to see this through as a team he helped build into a quasi-contender. Singer: People around the Nuggets were dumbfounded and stunned when Tim Connelly left. Porter Jr.’s extension looks questionable, now given his continued injury troubles. Scotto: Tim Connelly maximized the draft and helped Denver build a sustainable playoff team for years to come, but unfortunately, injuries to Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. They looked at Will Barton as a guy who could get you scoring in isolation, but doesn’t give you a lot defensively, is getting up there in age, and has a history of injuries. They wanted a two-way guard with championship experience who would improve their perimeter defense. The idea was they may have had to trade Morris inevitably over the next two years because Hyland was coming, and they weren’t going to pay Morris, especially as they dive into the luxury tax. He’s probably worth $14-15 million a year. If Morris was a free agent right now, he could’ve commanded a lot more than $9 million a year. Other teams were curious about Bones Hyland and if he would be available. They re-visited that deal in the offseason, and it got out that the Wizards desperately needed a veteran point guard. They wanted him and discussed various scenarios that could have potentially landed him in February. Singer: The Nuggets eyed KCP at the trade deadline. Scotto: In talking with Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, he told HoopsHype, “KCP was eligible for the extension, and he loves the fit in Denver.” Paul and Nuggets GM Calvin Booth and the Kroenke ownership group are all very close, which helped make a deal happen quickly. In that trade, there’s a lot of gamble on Bones Hyland, who took some leaps last year as a rookie and is an electric scorer off that second unit. They’re not moving Monte if Jamal isn’t going to be able to provide them with 30-plus minutes a night in due time. The trade that happened this offseason where they moved Monte Morris is a referendum on how confident they are in Murray returning. Maybe something like 20-25 minutes for the first few weeks and then ramp it up to 30-plus minutes as he gets settled in. Michael Malone talked about how he was going to ease him back. I’ve seen him throw down some pretty impressive dunks in practice gyms. He’ll have a full offseason and training camp. I think he wasn’t mentally there in terms of a return this past April, which would’ve entailed a postseason run. When he suits up in October, it’ll be 18 months since he tore his ACL in Golden State. The coaches said, that hesitancy isn’t there in making the dirty work plays. He was concerned about fighting around screens, getting dinged, diving for loose balls, and that half-second hesitancy that might still be there as a result of that ACL tear he had. We’re obviously asking the coaches how Jamal looks? In April, the hesitation for him to return was not offensively. Singer: When they brought in their draft picks and Summer League team, Murray actually showed up to the gym in Denver and started playing in five-on-five runs with the guys. He looked like he was in good basketball shape. He looked good physically, from what I could tell. Scotto: I saw Jamal Murray in Vegas at a New Balance event. It’s a testament to who Joker is and the relationship they’ve built since he came over in 2015. People around the Nuggets were pinching themselves that they were fortunate not to have to deal with some of the BS that other teams have to deal with. There’s no chatter about moving a guy like Donovan Mitchell on the Utah Jazz. This was as easy of a negotiation as it gets.Ĭan we talk about how there was no drama? He signed up for five more years, ostensibly in a place where free agents don’t want to come, and he didn’t even bat an eyelash. He said, “It’s an honor, honestly.” When the governor is eager to pay $270 million to a player, you know the negotiations were seamless. Singer on how seamless the negotiations were: I saw Nuggets governor Josh Kroenke in Vegas, and I asked him that question. MORE: NBA salaries: All the new contract numbers as they trickle in Jokic, the back-to-back MVP, got a five-year max extension from the Nuggets, which includes a 15 percent trade kicker and a player option for the 2027-28 season. Scotto: A lot of people around the league were expecting this to happen.
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