Should the Denver Nuggets consider trading Paul Millsap?
The Denver Nuggets have worked their way under the luxury tax, but should they consider trading Paul Millsap in 2018-19?
The Denver Nuggets signed Paul Millsap to a three-year, $90 million deal when the 2017 NBA offseason unfolded, signaling they wanted to win now. Unfortunately, after playing for a few months, Millsap was sidelined by a wrist injury that would keep him out for several months after opting for surgery. In 38 games, Millsap averaged 14.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 30.1 minutes per contest.
One of the things that is crippling the Nuggets’ cap room is that they opted to sign Paul Millsap when it was assumed they were rebuilding their team. With each trade that was made in the 2018 NBA offseason, the Nuggets have gotten younger. They got rid of Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur all of whom are on the older side of the spectrum.
What’s so special about Paul Millsap when the Nuggets have shown that they aim to get younger? The former All-Star starred for the Atlanta Hawks, but he is now 33 years old with nearly $60 million left on his contract, making him third-highest on the payroll.
Although the last year is a team option, the Nuggets could receive value for him now instead of just letting him walk in the offseason. That money would be best suited for making a run at free agency to get multiple quality players for a developing Denver Nuggets bench that is inexperienced at this point.
Paul Millsap’s exit would open up minutes for the plethora of power forwards that the Nuggets have on the roster. Since he is still a quality player, the Nuggets could get decent value for him should they want to trade him.
Michael Porter Jr. was drafted with the 14th overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft and is slotted to be the future of the power forward position with the Nuggets. With Will Barton signing a four-year, $53 million contract, he will be starting at small forward for years to come. Since Porter elected to have a procedure done on his back he will be out for a portion of the season, which makes a Millsap deal more feasible later on in the year as the trade deadline approaches.
When Porter becomes healthy, he will show the Nuggets fans why he was drafted in the top 15. The rookie forward has top-five talent and was once regarded as the best prospect in the draft before his injury. The Denver Nuggets would be wise to invest their stock in him early by allowing him to play as many minutes as he can in the rotation.
As I noted previously, Paul Millsap is a solid player, but he certainly doesn’t appear to fit the future Nuggets regime. Trading him now could provide the team with future assets that would allow their younger players to develop by playing. The Nuggets should not keep an aging player on such a deal.
Paul Millsap would be better suited on teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves or the Milwaukee Bucks, all of which are not shy about deciding to bring in veteran players.
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They can see how the start of 2018-19 goes, since they posted a better record in the 38 games he played compared to the 44 he missed. But if he is banged up again, or if the team isn’t making a noticeable rise up the Western Conference standings, making a move like this move would tell the league that Denver Nuggets are here to stay and will be riding on the backs of their young talent.