3 questions the Nuggets need to address during free agency

Tim Connelly didn’t sleep the night his team fell inches short of its postseason dream. On the flight out of Minneapolis hours after the regular-season finale, the Nuggets president of basketball operations couldn’t help but rewatch Denver’s overtime loss.

The Nuggets had shown resolve just to get to that point by rattling off six wins a row. To get to the postseason, they needed to turn the streak into seven. They had multiple chances to take the lead in the final 2 minutes of regulation against the Timberwolves but ended up going o-for.

“We’ve got to challenge each other,” a bleary-eyed Connelly said the morning after. “We’ve got to get better. This press conference is premature. We can’t keep having it after the regular season.”

The Nuggets are well positioned to finally break through with a 23-and-under core of Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray, and four-time All-Star Paul Millsap returning in 2018-19. How the front office fills in the gaps around those guys will play a significant factor in that, though. Free agency begins Sunday.

In what’s shaping up to be a relatively quiet summer for the Nuggets, Denver’s brain trust will have to decide how much it’s willing to pony up for unrestricted free agent Will Barton, what it’s going to do at backup point guard and how it can better balance a roster that’s overpopulated with power forwards.

The cap situation is going to make things tricky. The Nuggets already have around $133 committed in salaries for next season if you include the max deal that’s coming Jokic’s way. That’s roughly $10 million over the luxury tax line without factoring in a new deal for Barton.

How deep is Nuggets ownership willing to dig in their pockets for a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2013? We won’t know exactly how much the Nuggets are on the hook for until the trade deadline in February. But the next few weeks will at least provide some indication.

Will Denver bring Will Barton back?

Bucket getter off the bench, backup point guard, starting shooting guard, starting small forward. Those are all the roles Barton played last season. In terms of raw totals, he ranked second in rebounds, assists and three-pointers made, and third in points, steals and blocks on Denver’s roster. His versatility helped the Nuggets survive Millsap’s wrist injury and Emmanuel Mudiay’s struggles.

Now Barton is understandably looking to cash in. He bet on himself by turning down what was reportedly a four-year, $42 million extension in October. Is a more lucrative deal out there? The market Barton is about to test is significantly less player-friendly than two summers ago, when back-end rotation player like Bismack Biyombo and Evan Turner got deals worth $72 million and $70 million, respectively.

Barton would be lucky to get $50 million in guaranteed money. Teams don’t have nearly as much cap space as they did in 2016. Barton still figures to have some suitors. ESPN’s Chris Haynes reported that the Indiana Pacers are going to make a run at him. Barton could become a full-time starter there, which he’s said is one of his goals.

Connelly has repeatedly stressed this offseason how much he wants Barton in a Nuggets’ uniform next year.

“He’s our guy,” Connelly said. “We love him. If he’s back in a Denver jersey, it’s good for both him and the team.”

It will be interesting to see what kind of offer the Nuggets put on the table. If they do bring Barton back, look for them to shed salary elsewhere. Wilson Chandler ($12.8 million), Kenneth Faried ($13.8 million) and Darrell Arthur ($7.5 million) are all on expiring deals. To get off any of those contracts, Denver might have to include a sweetener such as a future pick or a youngster on a rookie deal like Trey Lyles, Juancho Hernangomez or Malik Beasley.

“I’m real big on that — starting what I finished,” Barton said. “We’ve been trending upwards since I got here. I would love to see how far we could take that and be a part of that.”

Who will be Denver’s backup point guard next season?

Mudiay was not the answer. The Nuggets gave their former first-round pick every chance to succeed. They even waived his competition, steady veteran Jameer Nelson, before the 2017-18 season started. Mudiay never figured it out, and he was benched before the Nuggets ultimately traded him to the New York Knicks in February. The player Denver got back in that three-team deal, 35-year-old combo guard Devin Harris, is an unrestricted free agent.

The Nuggets now have a hole at backup point guard they need to fill. They could either search for a veteran to back up the 21-year-old Murray or promote an in-house candidate. Monte Morris spent most of his rookie season honing his game in the G League, where he averaged 18 points, 6.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He only appeared in three games for the Nuggets, but he is potentially capable of taking on a bigger role. As a senior at Iowa State, he set the NCAA single-season record with a 5.17 assist-to-turnover ratio. He’s regarded as a hard worker and a well-liked teammate within the Nuggets’ organization.

“I feel like I paid my dues there, and I’m ready to play in the big leagues for sure,” Morris told the Des Moines Register.

The Nuggets will have to determine if they’re comfortable going into a make-or-break season with a player who’s only logged 25 minutes in the NBA as the backup point guard.

What about Torrey Craig?

The Nuggets are a finesse team. Over the last two years, they’ve won mostly by outscoring opponents. They’re loaded with scorers but short on players who specialize in doing the dirty work, which helps explain why 27-year-old journeyman Torrey Craig became a valuable rotation piece last season. Craig’s counting numbers weren’t that impressive, but his willingness to defend and get on the glass made him a favorite of head coach Michael Malone.

“He’s helping us win games that matter,” Malone said after Craig scored seven points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots in an April 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

On Monday, the Nuggets sent Craig a qualifying offer, which means he’ll become a restricted free agent. The Nuggets can match any offers Craig receives during free agency. If Craig doesn’t get any other offers, Denver can choose to bring him back as a two-way player or give him a guaranteed deal and a full-time roster spot.

Each NBA team is allowed to have a maximum of 15 full-time players and two two-way players. Two-way players are only allowed to spent 45 days of service time with their NBA team. The Nuggets already have 13 players coming back on full-time deals next season. That means there are only two full-time spots available.

“I enjoyed Denver. I liked the fans. I liked my teammates,” Craig said. “(Returning to Denver) would be ideal. But you never know what can happen. This is a crazy league, crazy business. I guess just look forward to the future.”