Nuggets gifted a trio of intriguing free agency targets from the retooling Spurs

Thus far, the Denver Nuggets have had a lackluster summer as they've watched other contenders get better while they lost a starter and made minimal changes. Despite that, they might have just gotten a gift courtesy of the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have made significant changes to their roster, including drafting Stephon Castle fourth overall, signing Chris Paul, and trading for Harrison Barnes. 

However, in order to clear out the cap space to fit those players into, they just waived several rotation players, including Sandro Sandro Mamukelashvili, Charles Bassey, and Cedi Osman. While the Spurs were one of the worst teams in the NBA last season, each player proved useful and would make for an underrated free agent target for the Nuggets. The Nuggets are thin on depth and would be smart to take a look at the players the Spurs waived.

The Denver Nuggets should look to sign any of the Spurs castoffs.

Power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili was mostly out of the Spurs' rotation until late last season before getting a chance to prove himself. He didn't disappoint, averaging 11.6 points, while shooting 38.5% from three, and 9.7 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per game over the final seven games of the season. 

At 6'10, Mamu is a good shooter and rebounder, making him a nice fit at power forward for the Nuggets, but his most impressive skills are his ability to move without the ball and pass. He is terrific at sliding into openings when his defender looks the other way, and he could thrive playing next to Jokic in certain lineups as a result. 

Meanwhile, Osman is a veteran who is a reliable shooter but also plays with energy and can put points up in quick order. Lastly, there is Charles Bassey, who was Victor Wembanyama's backup before Bassey tore his ACL. Injuries are a concern after also previously having a serious knee injury, which cost him most of the 2022–23 season. 

Nevertheless, he is just 23 and was a more than competent backup center who could protect the basket and rebound. Bassey and Mamu could be had for the minimum, while Osman may be able to command more but perhaps not much more with free agency money drying up. That puts each of them into the Nuggets price range and they should pounce on the chance to add useful players on the cheap.