It took only one defensive possession against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to show why the Nuggets paid the hefty price of a first round pick to acquire Jerami Grant last summer.
During the first quarter of the 107-106 Nuggets’ win, Grant blocked the Mavs All-Star twice on the same possession, first at the rim and then while contesting Doncic’s drive from the 3-point line moments later.
That type of defensive versatility is why the Nuggets were thrilled when they initially traded for Grant last July and why Denver hopes to keep him for years to come. Grant is one of six Nuggets players who could hit free agency following the conclusion of this season, but there’s a level of uncertainty around what the salary cap will look like due to the coronavirus pandemic and the amount of money that the league will ultimately lose due to the NBA’s hiatus.
A changing salary cap could throw a wrench into Grant, who has a $9.3 million player option for next season, and other potential free agent’s plans.
“One hundred percent. 100 percent. I’m not going to sit here and lie. Being a potential free agent, and I’ve got a player option. Being a potential free agent this upcoming summer like you said, I’m playing to the level I’m playing, at surprising a lot of people, things like that. I definitely think about trying to figure out what I’m going to do next season, whether it’s come back or not,” Grant said on the Posted Up Podcast with Chris Haynes when asked if the current pandemic might impact his free agency decision.
“It’s tough, though. It’s tough with all this going on. It’s hard even to gauge what’s going on. The salary cap might drop — it might drop a lot, it might drop a little bit. So I think everything just kind of hangs in the balance of what the owners are going to do, what the NBA’s doing with the rest of the season.”
Grant has two options after this season ends, whenever that ends up being. He can exercise his player option — keeping Grant in Denver before he enters unrestricted free agency next summer — or he can turn it down and seek a multi-year deal with the Nuggets or another team. His decision, and the decision of many other potential free agents, could be based on what happens with the salary cap.
“I’m definitely not leaning towards picking up the player option like you said. I feel like I definitely outplayed the nine million that I’m making each year right now but at the same time, I’d love to come to a conclusion or something like that with Denver,” Grant said. “It just depends on what we discuss and negotiate when the time comes.”
Grant saw his minutes decline from the 32.7 per game he averaged as a starter last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder to 26.2 per game this year with the Nuggets while primarily coming off the bench. But he still put up impressive numbers. The 26-year-old shot a career-high 40% from 3-point range on 3.4 attempts per game and per 36 minutes averaged 15.9 points per game, which was also a career-high mark.
He has had several standout defensive moments this season too, including the two-block possession against Doncic in January. A few nights after the Nuggets’ 107-106 win over the Mavs, Grant held Kawhi Leonard to 2 of 9 shooting according to NBA.com’s tracking data in Denver’s victory over the Los Angels Clippers. Then in late-January, Grant drew the assignment of defending Brandon Ingram and limited the Pelicans All-Star to 1 of 8 shooting from the field and 1 of 5 in the fourth quarter.
Grant’s defensive versatility is a big reason why Denver was willing to part with a first round pick in the deal. Another reason why the Nuggets were willing to mortgage an asset like a first round pick for Grant? They viewed him as a part of their long term future.
“There are always a handful of guys that you covet and try to do everything in your power to get him on your team within your ability,” Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said. “With full sincerity, Jerami is one of those guys, both as a person and a player. He’s a guy that we’ve long coveted. We’re unbelievably fortunate to add him to our team. I think it’s a special day for us. I think he’s going to be a guy that we continue to grow with. He’s going to be here for a long time, and an additional piece to what we think is going to be a very strong team.”
It’s difficult to imagine that what Grant did this season has dramatically changed the Nuggets’ stance and how they view Grant long term. Grant proved that the 39% he shot from 3-point range with the Thunder before arriving in Denver wasn’t a fluke and that as a defender, he can guard all five positions. Grant grew as both an on and off-ball defender as the season wore on and gradually became more comfortable in the Nuggets’ offensive system and playing alongside Nikola Jokic as the duo’s on-court minutes increased.
Over the Nuggets’ first 33 games of the season (from Oct. 23 through Jan. 1), Denver registered a -6.9 Net Rating in Grant and Jokic’s first 293 minutes playing together. But after Jan. 1, that number gradually crept into the positives. Across the Nuggets’ last 31 games, Denver had a 0.4 Net Rating in the 611 minutes Grant and Jokic played together during that stretch. Since Feb. 1, the Nuggets have a 2.7 Net Rating in the 256 minutes Grant and Jokic logged alongside one another over their last 15 games.
Statistics via NBA.com/stats
Based on those numbers and his upward trajectory as the season wore on, expect the Nuggets to pull out all the stops to try to re-sign Grant to a long-term deal this summer if he declines his player option.
If Grant supplants Millsap as the Nuggets’ starting forward next season is an entirely different story. While the Nuggets’ numbers with Grant alongside Jokic improved as the regular season progressed, they were still didn’t scratch the level that Denver has played at over the last two years with Millsap and Jokic on the floor together.
This season, the Nuggets had a 10.5 Net Rating with Millsap and Jokic both on the floor. Last season, Denver recorded an 8.6 Net Rating when those two played together.
But Millsap is slated for free agency this summer, and while you get the sense that he would like to return to Denver and chase a championship with the Nuggets, Denver could entice Grant to re-up with some assurance that he’ll soon enter the starting lineup.
“I definitely feel like I have aspirations to be a starter, but right now, my team needs me to come off the bench, so I’m willing to do it,” Grant said. “But in the future, I feel like if you don’t have the aspirations to be a starter, you’re not truly growing. I want the best for myself, but at the same time, right now, I’m definitely comfortable in my position doing whatever my team needs me to do.”
