Tim Connelly lays out Nuggets' plans for draft night, free agency

With the draft just over two weeks away, Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly addressed the media Wednesday afternoon at Pepsi Center following Denver’s third pre-draft workout in as many days. Connelly spoke on a number of subjects including what the Nuggets’ draft night approach will be, Denver’s plans in free agency, ways they could shed salary and how the organization plans to take another step forward into the playoffs next season.

Here are the key takeaways from Connelly’s 15-minute question and answer session:

Lessons were learned from last year’s “bizarre” draft night

There was no hiding the disappointment on Connelly’s and general manager Arturas Karnisovas’ faces after draft night last summer when the Nuggets traded back from the 13th overall selection and wound up with Trey Lyles and the 24th pick that Denver used to select Tyler Lydon.

Between a three-way trade with Indiana and Cleveland that fell through at the last minute and the Raptors selecting OG Anunoby 23rd overall — the player many around the league believe the Nuggets were targeting at 24 — Denver wasn’t thrilled with how its night went.

“It was a divided room at 13,” Connelly said late that evening. “It was a weird night because the frenzies came, and then it was quiet. … It was a bizarre night.”

The Nuggets recovered to win 46 games — a six-game improvement from 2017. Denver missed the playoffs by one game for a second-consecutive season but still has its core of Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray intact. Things are still looking up.

Denver enters this draft in a similar spot at 14th overall.

“Every year you look to learn from the past,” Connelly said thinking back to last year’s draft. “Certainly, you hope to ensure you are aware of all the possibilities. You’re a similar range, similar spot. The goal is to get better, and we should be better in this draft.”

The Nuggets have held five pre-draft workouts and auditioned a slew of prospects with mid-first round grades. Texas Tech’s Zhaire Smith, Oregon’s Troy Brown, UCLA’s Aaron Holiday, France’s Elie Okobo, Ohio State’s Keita Bates-Diop and Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie are the players Denver has worked out with unanimous first-round grades. Smith and Brown could be candidates for the 14th pick while the rest are players that would likely be available later in the first round if the Nuggets traded back.

Denver hopes to find a player in the first round who checks a lot of boxes. They also want someone who fits the self-motivating culture that’s been built over the past few seasons.

“Versatility on both ends, two-way players,” Connelly said when asked what he’s looking for in the draft. “I think coach (Michael) Malone has done a great job creating a culture of guys who get in the gym on their own and work. Our young guys are reflective of who we want to be, so we want to add another guy with a similar mindset and approach.”

On the most active day of NBA calendar year, the Nuggets will make and take numerous calls. If a trade presents itself that can improve the roster, Denver will act. The Nuggets won’t be scared off by last year’s draft night disappointment.

“It’s impulsive, emotions get involved,” Connelly said regarding the draft. “The trade deadline is one thing but on draft day there are moves every which way and things can happen while you’re on the clock. I think we view this opportunity to be a bit more aggressive, and you don’t have to look long and far for dealmakers on draft day.”

Nuggets have a lot of options to shed salary, including the stretch provision

Last summer, the Nuggets entered the offseason with cap space and the desire to make a splash. Denver did just that when it signed Paul Millsap to a three-year, $90 million contract. This season, the Nuggets have limited wiggle room.

Denver’s first order of business will still be to decline Nikola Jokic’s team option for next season, making the franchise big man a restricted free agent. That option ensures Jokic will stay in a Nuggets’ jersey for many years. But Jokic going from a former second-round pick who made just $1.5 million last season to a max or near max-level contract player with a starting salary at or around $25 million next year poses some issues for Denver’s books.

Wilson Chandler ($12.8 million) and Darrell Arthur ($7.5 million) both have player options for next season, which they have to decide on by June 24 and June 29 respectively. The Nuggets have to decide on Jokic’s team option by June 29 as well. The Nuggets will begin next season well into the luxury tax if both Chandler and Arthur pick up their options and Denver gives Jokic a new deal.

That financial crunch will likely cause the Nuggets to canvass the rest of the league and seek out a team that can take on some of Denver’s unwanted salary. Denver could sweeten that offer by including the No. 14 pick or a player currently on its roster.

“We’re always looking. With the financials of the NBA, you’ve got to be creative to keep the guys you want,” Connelly said when asked about the likelihood of offloading salary this summer. “We’re always looking to make any move that makes us better. There will be some pretty good opportunities, hopefully, in the next couple weeks, and we’ll try to exploit those opportunities.”

Chandler and Arthur’s upcoming decisions will also play a large part in determining if the Nuggets can bring back Will Barton next season. Barton is an unrestricted free agent but was an instrumental piece to the Nuggets’ rotation last year. Losing Barton would be a big blow, and his production isn’t replaceable by someone currently under contract, but sources indicate that Denver is still very hopeful it will be able to retain his services this summer.

“We’re extremely excited about trying to get Will Barton back here,” Connelly said. “He’s a huge part of what we did.”

Connelly also didn’t rule out using the stretch provision to clear money from the Nuggets’ books when asked. Under the stretch provision, if a player is waived from July 1 to August 31, then his remaining salary is paid over twice the number of years remaining on his contract, plus one. For example, if Kenneth Faried was waived on August 1 with one season remaining on his contract at $13.7 million then his remaining salary is paid over three years in even amounts of roughly $4.6 million per year. There are different rules if the player is waived after Aug 31.

“The salary cap is a puzzle. You have a finite amount of resources to stay under a certain level. So we’ll explore all those things,” Connelly said. “Whatever we can do to ensure we have a really good team and were fiscally responsible. We’ll explore all those options.”

Summer League team is taking shape

The Las Vegas Summer League is scheduled for July 6-17 at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Nuggets, along with the league’s 29 other teams, will play a minimum of five and a maximum of eight games over the 12-day showcase.

The star of the Nuggets’ Summer League team will likely be Monte Morris. The 51st overall pick in 2017 was on a two-way contract with Denver last season but only logged 25 minutes with the Nuggets. Across 37 G League games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the 23-year-old averaged 17.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Morris is a high-IQ point guard who should thrive in the Summer League environment.

Fellow 2017 second-rounder Vlatko Cancar, who was drafted by the Nuggets two slots ahead of Morris last year, could play with the team this summer as well. The 6-foot-9 forward most recently played for San Pablo Burgos of the Spanish ACB league while on loan from Mega Leks. Cancar averaged roughly 11 points on 44 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent from three in 36 games between the ACB and Adriatic League last season. The Slovenian has some national team responsibilities this sunmer but the Nuggets are hopefully that he’s in Las Vegas.

2017 first-round pick Tyler Lydon, whose rookie season was cut short by a knee injury that required surgery, recently played 5-on-5 for the first time this offseason. The team hasn’t said whether or not Lydon will be available for Summer League.

“It was a big confidence builder for him to get back out there after the injury,” Connelly said.

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell is expected to suit up for the Nuggets at Summer League as well. The 6-foot-5 wing played last season for the Bakken Bears in Denmark’s top league and averaged 18 points per game. Akoon-Purcell, 25, went undrafted in 2016 after spending two seasons at Illinois State.