Denver Nuggets
On the surface, this seems like a one-sided deal in favor of Philadelphia, but a simple look at Denver’s cap sheet reveals the reasoning behind it.
When Chandler opted into the final $12.8 million of his contract, the Nuggets were in desperate need to cap relief, especially after agreeing to extensions with Nikola Jokic (five years, $148 million) and Will Barton (four years, $53 million) in the opening hours of free agency.
With the team actively looking to trade Kenneth Faried, Mason Plumlee, Darrell Arthur and Chandler, Ill Will was the first domino to fall. The luxury tax savings from this move alone, which returns zero salary to Denver, are immense:
Trading Wilson Chandler to Philadelphia will save Denver $50M in combined salary and luxury tax. The Nuggets tax bill now drops from $51.3M to $14.3M. The $12.8M Chandler contract can be traded immediately without any restrictions because Philadelphia acquired him with room.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 3, 2018
Even better, despite dealing from a position of weakness, the Nuggets were able to ride Chandler’s reputation as an established veteran to a trade without having to include a future first round draft pick.
A 2021 second-rounder and the rights to swap second-rounders in 2022 are a small price to pay for a team that needs to keep future first round selections in order to dump Faried or Plumlee somewhere else.
Woj reporting it's a future 2nd-rounder. Makes sense -- Chandler is solid. Denver saving their future first for the dump that could get them under the tax (likely Faried; Arthur doesn't get them under, Plumlee has one more year than Faried on his deal). https://t.co/u05CnvE5jc
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 3, 2018
The Nuggets still have work to do in order to duck the luxury tax line, but moving Faried’s $13.8 million expiring contract or Plumlee’s $12.9 million deal would get them closer, especially if they found another taker capable of absorbing those contracts without sending back significant salary.
Unfortunately, the number of teams fitting that category has rapidly shrunk in the 2018 NBA offseason, and such a move would almost certainly require a first round draft pick of some sort to sweeten the deal.
The Nuggets have to dump a useful wing player and fan favorite in Chandler, but at 31 years old, he wasn’t part of their future plans. Barton can fill the void on the wing, minutes will be available for Michael Porter Jr. when he’s healthy, and after Chandler’s underwhelming year, it’s a victory Denver was able to move him — even on an expiring deal — without attaching more attractive sweeteners.
Grade: A-