The Denver Nuggets had a fantastic run through the playoffs. So where do they go from here with their pending free agents?
It came as a surprise to many fans that the Denver Nuggets made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. Coming back from multiple 3-1 deficits is quite the way to capture the hearts of fans. This team was one of the better stories of the bubble and building on that success next season will be essential.
The team will be entering a transition next season. Jamal Murray’s max contract extension will be kicking in, moving him from his rookie scale contract number this year of $4.4 million to $29.3 million next season. He certainly earned that extension with his play in the post season but it certainly complicates their cap situation. Just as Paul Millsap’s contract comes off the other players will flood the cap space.
The team will be committed to nine players next season for a total of $108 million. If Jerami Grant opts out (likely after his impressive play in the playoffs) that will drop down to $98.7 million. Continuing to build this roster up will be tough as their top two players get expensive but they have shown great success building around the margins through with non-lottery picks and smart free agent moves.
Before they make those choices they will have to choose which free agents to keep and who to let move on. For the sake of this they have six free agents and one player (as mentioned, Jerami Grant) with a player option for next season to consider.