Plenty of fireworks went off during the NBA’s first night of free agency, including a Paul George trade, a Jeff Teague signing and an extension for Blake Griffin. Not to be left out, the Denver Nuggets are aggressively pursuing power forward Paul Millsap, who they will reportedly meet with on Saturday.
Millsap, who’s been one of Denver’s top targets over the past year, would quell the revolving door the Nuggets have experienced at the power forward position as of late.
Millsap, who’s also drawing interest from Phoenix and will reportedly meet with the Suns on Sunday, is also considering Minnesota and Sacramento, with the Nuggets and Timberwolves holding steady as the “front runners” according to one report.
The four-time All-Star averaged 18.1 points on 44.2 percent shooting from the field to go with 7.7 rebounds last season in Atlanta. Millsap, who’s generally regarded as a plus shooter from distance has struggled from three over the past two seasons, shooting 31.9 and 31.1 percent from deep respectively.
To sign Millsap, Denver will have to fight off other suitors and may have to offer the 32-year-old a maximum contract which would run for four years and nearly $149 million.
Here’s how a max contract for Millsap would break down year over year:
Year 1: $34,650,000
Year 2: $36,382,500
Year 3: $38,115,000
Year 4: $39,847,500
Denver should jump on a max contract for Millsap over two or three years but if the Nuggets enter the four-year territory for the 32-year-old power forward, it could spell trouble down the line when Denver is looking to pay Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Nuggets hot on Hill
Hill is one name who surprisingly leaped to the top of Denver’s target list Friday night.
The 31-year-old point guard averaged 16.9 points and 4.2 assists for the Jazz last season but has only played in 166 out of a possible 246 regular season games over the past three years. With 20-year-old Jamal Murray blossoming as Denver’s point guard of the future, Hill could keep the seat warm for the next couple of seasons while in the meantime steadying the Nuggets’ trajectory in an upward direction to the playoffs.
However, the point guard market is slowly drying up. Jeff Teague is reportedly signing in Minnesota, it sounds like Jrue Holiday will remain in New Orleans but could take a meeting with the Knicks if he doesn’t see himself with the Pelicans long term. Patty Mills is re-signing in San Antonio, and Shaun Livingston is also staying put but in Golden State.
Ricky Rubio was traded to Utah earlier on Friday, which leaves Kyle Lowry and Hill as the other two premier point guards still on the market. Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo are still looking for homes as well.
Hill could likely draw a more lucrative offer from another suitor, especially if Denver’s top priority remains Millsap, as expected. However, a starting lineup of Hill, Gary Harris, Wilson Chandler, Millsap, and Jokic could maybe persuade Hill to take a slight discount.
Gallinari to meet with Clippers
Nuggets’ swingman Danilo Gallinari will meet with the Clippers this weekend, according to ESPN, and it seems like Denver’s interest in bringing the 28-year-old back, especially with the continued pursuit of Millsap and George, has cooled.
If Denver is able to sign either Millsap, who will likely command a contract close to the max, or George, who could sign for a lesser amount, it’s hard to envision the Nuggets capping their future books to re-up Gallinari.
Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer and coach Doc Rivers have no interest in rebuilding — that was evident by the new contract they gave Griffin — they’ll look to add another significant piece, whether that’s Gallinari or someone else.
