Denver Nuggets: Pros and cons of keeping Paul Millsap

The Verdict

The first task on the list for the Nuggets would be to decline Paul Millsap’s team option. He’s a great player, and he brings a lot of value to the team. However, he isn’t worth $30 million for his age-35 season. When looking at the list of player salaries for next season, players like Gordon Hayward, Mike Conley and Paul George are in that range. You can make the debate that Millsap was better than Hayward in 2018-19, but he wasn’t better than either of the other two.

The Nuggets’ goal with Millsap should be to decline his team option while bringing him back on a cheaper, multi-year deal to allow him to continue to build with this team. His experience brings something valuable to the roster, and he’s still able to contribute. The only issue could come down to how Millsap views himself. If he feels he’s worth more, he could look to join a team that’s able to pay him more money.

At this stage of his career, Millsap’s value should be somewhere in the $15 million per season range, with descending values as the years go on. This group is going to get expensive as the extensions for the younger players start to kick in. The Nuggets have to be conscious of that by keeping the powder dry for them.