When the Denver Nuggets re-signed backup point guard Jameer Nelson to a three-year, $13.6 million contract this offseason, the veteran was tasked with changing the sunken locker room culture which consumed the roster last season, and leading the team’s second unit.
The culture around the team has flipped 180 degrees from where it was last year and Nelson successfully ran point for the Nuggets second five, until the injuries hit.
A sprained left wrist limited Nelson to action in just one game after the mid-February All-Star break and the Nuggets brought in D.J. Augustin from Oklahoma City to fill in for the 34-year-old at the trade deadline.
Augustin played well enough during his stint in Denver to draw significant praise from coach Michael Malone and has said himself that he would love to be back with the Nuggets next season. That leaves Nelson in a tough spot as potentially the third point guard if Augustin re-ups. He let his thoughts on the situation known to the Denver Post’s Christopher Dempsey, who also noted that if Nelson finds himself in a similar situation next year, the point guard wouldn’t be opposed to asking for a trade.
“We’ll see how things go. We all have decisions to make.”
“I would love to come back here. That’s the reason why I signed a three-year deal. But it’s just one of those things that, it’s a business. It’s a business, and we have to figure it out.”
Nelson is clearly not what he once was, but he can still be a valuable backup point guard as rookie Emmanuel Mudiay continues to get acclimated to the pace and pressures of the NBA. He did post career-worst shooting percentages but is well respected in the locker room and a valuable veteran asset to the coaching staff, even organizing a team trip to Philadelphia before training camp got underway.
Nelson envisioned being the backup or even the starter at times like he was earlier in the season for the next couple years in Denver, but that plan seems to be on hold in the interim until the Nuggets decide what to do with Augustin. Denver has money to spend this summer and could opt to take care of their own and bring back Augustin, Mike Miller and Darrell Arthur, who all could be free agents and won’t demand big-time money. Arthur has a player option he must decide on by June 22.
“But you look at the situation and you see me, D.J. and Emmanuel (Mudiay). I was their biggest fan. It was just one of those things that was out of my control. I talked to coach, talked to (GM) Tim (Connelly) a couple of times. You know, this wasn’t my time to play. So, I’m going to always be a pro, I’m going to always be who I am. Obviously I wanted to play. Frustration sets in, but at the same time, you have to take a step back and realize how fortunate you are.”
Nelson’s comments hint at the possibility that Malone and Connelly were the ones who ultimately made the call on the veteran not playing out the season.
If there’s no room for Nelson in Denver, he’d be sought after by teams who were in a similar situation to the Nuggets when they first acquired and re-signed Nelson. The Orlando Magic, who Nelson played for during his first ten years in the league, would be an interesting landing spot if Nelson did decide to look for work elsewhere.
Will D.J. Augustin’s free agency determine Jameer Nelson’s fate in Denver? Credit: Isaiah J. Downing, USA TODAY Sports
