“Hopefully we get the whole crew back.”
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The Nuggets’ starters aren’t going anywhere.
Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are all under contract for at least one more season.
It’s Denver’s bench that could see some turnover following its historic championship run. Beginning with Bruce Brown, who already (and expectedly) declined his player option, the Nuggets have numerous unrestricted free agents heading into the summer. Brown, Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan, Ish Smith, Reggie Jackson and Thomas Bryant are all on the verge of free agency, which begins at 4 p.m. MT Friday.
If Nuggets GM Calvin Booth gets his way, this season’s roster will look a lot like last year’s.
“Hopefully we get the whole crew back,” he told The Denver Post.
The biggest question is Brown, who proved to be a free-agent steal last season. After he played out of position in Brooklyn, the Nuggets utilized him how he wanted to be played, and it paid off. The Nuggets can offer Brown up to $7.8 million for next season, and intend to do so, a league source told The Post. That would then theoretically allow him to sign a more lucrative deal in Denver next summer, if he was OK deferring his payday for a year.
“Obviously Bruce is the biggest fish,” Booth said. “He has a million options. Waiting eagerly to see what’s going to happen when the moratorium ends. Hopefully he’s back in a Nuggets jersey.”
Brown is expected to garner significant demand in free agency and might be worth up to the full mid-level exception ($12.4 million annually) from another team. But Brown has said he wants to stay in Denver, though that doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen.
Playing around Jokic brought out the best in Brown. If a team bets big on the versatile shooting guard, they’ll want him to replicate, and possibly exceed, what he did in Denver. The 26-year-old is probably better suited for a complementary role than a lead one, which is why he fits so well with the Nuggets. As Booth said, Brown is the biggest fish Denver is hoping to retain.
Green, though less heralded, also played a significant role for the champions. His 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter of Game 4 was one of the defining shots of the series. Green averaged over 17 minutes per game in the playoffs and served as a stabilizer off the bench. But Green’s also closing in on 37 years old.
Both he and Jordan, two locker room pillars, could leave in free agency.
Asked specifically about those two, Booth was candid about who he thought could return.
“More confident on probably DJ, I think he liked it here,” he said. “I know Jeff played a lot in the playoffs, maybe he has some options. I’ll have to check in (with his agent).”
Green might be able to make more money elsewhere, but he also became a fixture of the locker room and a confidante of Jokic’s. His standing in the locker room would be difficult to replicate, while his playoff production (4.1 points, 1.6 rebounds) might not be. His return could come down to how badly he wants to remain in Denver.
Jackson didn’t play much after the Nuggets acquired him in the buyout market but they are hopeful he’ll return, a league source said. As a backup guard, he could serve as insurance in the event Brown lands a more lucrative deal elsewhere.
But Booth reiterated his stance.
“Hope to retain a good number of those guys,” he said.
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