5 buyout candidates to jumpstart the Nuggets' bench

The trade deadline is over which means it’s buyout season.

Will the Nuggets be active like they were last year when Denver brought in Reggie Jackson and Thomas Bryant?

We’ll see.

The Nuggets don’t currently have a roster spot available. So if they wanted to sign a free agent, they’d have to make a cut. That cut feels like it would most likely be Vlatko Cancar (out for the season but has a valuable team option for next year).

That being said, I would be very surprised if the Nuggets made a move at all. The perfect player would have to become available. But if they do make a change, these five players could be fits.

(Some of these players are rumored potential buyout candidates and aren’t currently free agents.)

1. Delon Wright

Season averages: 4.2 pts (39.5 FG%, 37.8 FG%), 1.9 rebs, 2.6 asts in 14.5 mins per game.

Wright could be the best available player on the buyout market if he’s able to negotiate his release from the Wizards. He could be a solid fit in Denver too if the Nuggets landed him.

The 6-5 combo guard who can play both backcourt positions is the opposite of Reggie Jackson. He’s a defense-first table-setter who isn’t going to produce a lot of offense by himself. A second unit defensive trio of Wright, Christian Braun, and Peyton Watson would wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Good luck scoring on that threesome.

I don’t think Wright would be an ‘every playoff game’ player for the Nuggets. But he’d be great situationally and give Denver a change of pace when Jackson doesn’t have it going.

2. Danilo Gallinari

Season averages: 7.3 pts (45.1 FG%, 35.5 3P%), 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists in 14.8 mins per game.

I was curious to see if Gallinari had any juice left at all, and then I watched him drop 20 points and shoot 4-4 from 3-point range two weeks ago against the Cavs. Could he inject some offense into a Nuggets’ second unit that has a difficult time throwing the ball into the general vicinity of the basket right now? I’m willing to think that there’s a chance he could.

Remember the Jeff Green ISO that acted as the Nuggets’ go-to play at times when the second unit was on the floor last season? I think Gallinari could actually score (or at least get to the free-throw line regularly) if given the ball in the mid-post for a couple of possessions throughout a game. Plus, he can still shoot it. The Nuggets’ bench with Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and whoever’s in at backup center has zero spacing right now.

And then you’ve got the nostalgia factor. I’m sure Gallinari would welcome a return to Denver. He still has a restaurant here and is familiar with the area and organization. Right now though, he’s stuck in NBA purgatory. Gallinari’s last two teams have been the Wizards and now the Pistons.

3. Danuel House Jr.

Season averages: 4.2 pts (44.8 FG%, 30 3P%), 1.7 rebs, 0.8 asts in 15 mins per game.

House can shoot it and he has decent size at 6-foot-6. He’s a solid transition player and finisher too. But is he better than Justin Holiday? And if he’s not for sure better, is it worth making a change to an already tight-knit locker room for something that might not matter that much in the long run?

That’s what the Nuggets have to think about in all of these scenarios. House is good enough for a playoff team to pick up though.

4. Seth Curry:

Season averages: 4.2 pts (37.2 FG%, 36.1 3P%), 1.5 rebs, 0.8 asts in 12.9 mins per game.

Curry can really shoot it but doesn’t have as much size as House. When you look at the regular season, I think you can get away with playing one guy in your rotation who doesn’t have good positional size. In the playoffs, that might go down to zero.

Still, Curry can be a deadeye shooter and it feels like “shooting” is what the Nuggets’ second unit is lacking the most right now. Teams are already deploying the tactic and will continue to double-team Jamal Murray and force the ball out of his hands when he’s playing with the bench. Michael Porter Jr. will have to be on the floor as an outlet. Having another knockdown shooter out there wouldn’t hurt.

5. Robin Lopez

Season averages: 1.1 pts (36.8 FG%), 0.3 rebounds, 0.2 blocks in 4.1 minutes per game.

Let’s reserve this spot this season and in future years for a ceremonial backup center to address the weakest spot in the Nuggets’ rotation. But we know it’s a weakness that likely goes away in the playoffs. We are saying the same things now about the Nuggets’ lack of a reliable backup center that we said last season. And when last year’s playoffs started, Aaron Gordon became the Nuggets’ backup five. All of a sudden, backup center wasn’t a concern.

It would definitely be nice to have a capable big man that makes it so there’s zero chance of Gordon playing too many regular season minutes there and wearing down. I’m not convinced that Lopez is better than DeAndre Jordan though. Lopez has barely played this season. He’s probably not worth adding. Maybe, it would just be for the vibes.

Honorable Mention

Thaddeus Young — He was sitting in the fifth slot of my buyout power rankings, but Young signed with the Suns on Tuesday morning. He’s a good passer and defender and could have been another big body to throw at LeBron James and other bruising forwards that could dot Denver’s path to the Finals. Jeff Green’s ability to defend those types of players was valuable.

Killian Hayes — Solid second draft candidate. I bet a team tries to pick him up and funnel him into their roster for next season like the Nuggets did with Reggie Jackson.

Marcus Morris — Solid player. Bad locker room vibes. No chance.

Furkan Korkmaz — There’s maybe a chance for a reclamation project here. Korkmaz had been trying to get traded from the 76ers for the last several seasons. He finally got his wish this year. He badly needed a change of scenery.

Evan Fournier — Bad vibes.