Nuggets officially waive Jameer Nelson

The Denver Nuggets have officially waived Jameer Nelson, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. Nelson is expected to clear waivers on Friday allowing him to operate as an unrestricted free agent and sign with whichever team he wants.

Nuggets’ coach Michael Malone had high praise for Nelson, who averaged 9.2 points and 5.1 assists while shooting 38.8 percent from three-point distance last season, after hearing that he may be waived by the Nuggets organization.

“Jameer is a guy that I have tremendous respect for,” Malone said. “I got to know Jameer originally when he was in Orlando when my father was there and Jameer was one of the main focal points of a very good playoff team in Orlando. You have a 13-year veteran that’s seen and been around everything. Been to The Finals, been an All-Star and I think his ability to mentor and help young players is something that people didn’t hear enough about because I think Jameer has a great basketball mind and he has a passion for the game. And let’s be honest, last year with Jameer as our starter we made a great push for the playoffs and came up one game short. Jameer had a huge impact while he was here.”

Now that Nelson has been waived by Denver they will go into the season with a point guard rotation consisting of Emmanuel Mudiay and Jamal Murray. Malone has yet to specify which of his point guards will be starting but both Murray and Mudiay will be relied upon for the bulk of the ball-handling duties in the backcourt. Expect Will Barton to step into the emergency point guard role if needed.

Denver has opened a roster spot and will now be able to sign Richard Jefferson, who has reportedly agreed to sign for the veteran minimum which is a one-year contract worth $2.3 million. Expect that deal to be finalized soon with Jefferson expected to join the Nuggets on Thursday after their first game of the year against the Utah Jazz.