Nuggets Diary: On eve of free of charge force, don't be amazed if Denver functions it back

Check out this post by Mike Singer from The Denver Post discussing some important events for the week. Mike Singer recently posted the article and I decided it was worth posting here.

Fireworks? Unlikely. As free agency approaches Monday, the Nuggets have already made their intentions clear.

President Tim Connelly said since the start of the offseason, their goal was to retain as many of their free agents as possible. Remember, for a few blissful weeks, the Nuggets were among the very best teams in the NBA. Yes, championship-worthy.

Why, then, would they change course?

Teams can’t account for injuries. What happened to Jamal Murray was devastating, but for a team like the Nuggets, generally not a marquee free-agent destination, sometimes the best approach is patience.

When Connelly asked Murray what he felt the team needed recently, Murray was succinct.

“It’s pretty easy,” Murray told Connelly. “We just need health.”

Speaking on Thursday night, shortly after nabbing Bones Hyland with the No. 26 pick in the first round, Connelly reaffirmed how close he feels the Nuggets are.

“I do think there’s a collective belief amongst our locker room, amongst our basketball operations, from coaches to front office, that we have a pretty complete team,” Connelly said.

Fireworks? Not happening. That includes a trade for Damian Lillard (uninterested in leaving Portland), Ben Simmons (a fading superstar) or Bradley Beal (who doesn’t seem keen on leaving Washington).

Which leaves Connelly and his staff right back where it started — with a talented team that feels it can contend again next season assuming they prioritize their own free agents.

That begins with Will Barton, who declined his player option to become an unrestricted free agent. There’s significant goodwill between both Barton and Connelly and optimism a deal can be struck, according to league sources.

That doesn’t account for a team with cap room offering Barton something like $18 million to $20 million per season. If that happens, like it did with Jerami Grant last year, perhaps Barton is on a different team next season. But the Nuggets sorely need his playmaking back and would be wise to prioritize retaining the shifty small forward.

Kiszla: JaVale McGee panning for Olympic gold in Japan, but “definitely” interested if Nuggets offer him fresh, green cash in free agency Meet Nuggets draft pick Bones Hyland, VCU’s “pied piper” and the pride of Wilmington Nuggets select Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland: How the national media graded Denver’s NBA draft pick Nuggets select VCU’s Bones Hyland with the No. 26 pick in the 2021 NBA draft Nuggets mega-mailbag: What should Denver do in NBA draft, free agency?

JaMychal Green is in the same boat as Barton, an unrestricted free agent who the Nuggets would like to keep. His market is expected to be anywhere from $7 million to $9 million, according to league sources. That’s a reasonable price to retain a veteran forward who, earlier this season, earned a life-long endorsement from Nikola Jokic.

All three of the Nuggets’ reserve big men – Paul Millsap, JaVale McGee and Green – are free agents. Expect two of the three to return, and if only one does, the Nuggets will likely try and fill the void with another veteran big, according to a league source.

On the eve of free agency, Denver’s roster already appears tight. There isn’t expected to be much wiggle room, meaning likely just one or two spots available.

Would one go to Austin Rivers, who filled in admirably off the … couch last season? It’s possible. Perhaps free agent Avery Bradley, who the Nuggets have had interest in in the past, might be a fit.

“We like our core,” Connelly said during Thursday night’s post-NBA draft news conference. “We like the pulse of our locker room. We like the competitive spirit. We’ll be pretty picky when looking at the type of guys we’re going to add to that mix.”

In other words: fireworks? Unlikely.