With free agency officially upon us I figured now would be a good time to revisit an earlier series of articles I published several months ago concerning the Denver Nuggets’ top priorities this offseason. While some of the items on my “to-do” list have already been executed and some are no longer relevant, there are still some that pertain specifically to free agency — which I’ve highlighted below. To read this series of articles in its entirety, click here for Part 1, here for Part 2 and here for Part 3.
6. Find some way — any way — to jettison J.J. Hickson
J.J. Hickson is perhaps Tim Connelly’s third worst decision since accepting the role as Nuggets GM almost two years ago. The first, of course, was shipping Rudy Gobert to Utah in exchange for cash (however, this had to of largely been influenced by Josh Kroenke considering when given the choice of utilizing first-round draft picks or trading them for a cash most GMs will almost certainly commit felonies in exchange for the chance to keep their picks). The second decision of the “awful” variety was nearly signing hero-ball extraordinaire Monta Ellis in free agency a few summer ago. And while signing Nate Robinson was almost equally as frustrating, the fact Connelly atoned for his mistake by trading him last winter should be enough for most fans to forgive and forget.
Hickson, however, continues to linger. Like Ellis, Robinson and far too many other players the Nuggets have been linked to as of late, Hickson is what I deem a “negative asset” to a basketball team attempting to win actual basketball games. OK, maybe that’s a bit harsh. He does rebound well and at times he can score rakishly. But when it comes to the things that win games — defense, fundamentalism, court awareness, selflessness — Hickson falls short in nearly every sense. If the Nuggets want to be taken seriously by the rest of the league, guys like Hickson cannot find their way onto this team.
More than anything, Hickson just doesn’t have a role with the Nuggets any longer. Joffrey Lauvergne — essentially the anti-Hickson — has emerged as a younger, more viable backup forward who the Nuggets must invest in moving forward. Kenneth Faried and Jusuf Nurkic each deserve 30-plus minutes of action per night as well. Yet above all else, if Nuggets can succeed in somehow dumping Hickson they’ll move nearly $6 million off their books that they can in turn use to target more talented free agents, which as you’ll see later on is of utmost importance this summer.
5. Sign several defensive-mined role players
As of now the Nuggets have eight players under contract heading into free agency. All eight should see valuable time as role players next season. Gary Harris, Nurkic and Lauvergne will likely see the most increase in playing time and luckily for Nuggets fans each is a solid if not impressive defensive specimen. But relying on guys who are 20 and 23 years old to win you games on the defensive side of the ball isn’t exactly a recipe for success. If the Nuggets really want to start clamping down on their opponents they’ll need veterans.
Dishing out max contracts to guys like Jimmy Butler (another one of my predraft favorites!) or Draymond Green (ditto), while certainly helpful, isn’t going to totally change the Nuggets’ culture. What the Nuggets need, or rather who they need, are guys who’ve been in the league for a while, who have established reputations as potential “stoppers” and who do all the little things to help you win ball games. Examples included: David West, Robin Lopez, Wesley Matthews, Thaddeus Young, Danny Green, Corey Brewer, Aaron Brooks, Gerald Henderson, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Jason Smith, Kirk Hinrich, DeMarre Carroll, C.J. Miles, Omer Asik, Matt Barnes, Brandan Wright, Tyson Chandler and even younger guys who’ve shown a penchant for defense like Khris Middleton, Jae Crowder, Al-Farouq Aminu and Iman Shumpert.
Tim Connelly often talks about wanting to win titles, but signing guys like Nate Robinson and J.J. Hickson is contradictory to such sentiments. If the Nuggets truly want to take the next step, make a push for the playoffs and eventually contend for a title, they need to start signing the types of players that engender on-court success, i.e., those who play defense.
4. Sign a rim protector
At one point last season the Nuggets had perhaps the best trio of centers in the entire league in Nurkic, Timofey Mozgov and JaVale McGee. Yet by February only Nurkic remained. Ergo the Nuggets finished as one of the least productive teams in the league with regards to paint protection and blocked shots. And as any diehard NBA fans well knows, unless you have LeBron James this is a recipe for disaster.
If there’s one need the Nuggets absolutely must address in free agency this summer, it’s backup center. Luckily for Denver the free agent class of 2015 might very well be the most center-rich crop of free agents we’ve seen in years. The list of available centers and shot-blocking power forwards includes Marc Gasol, Brook Lopez, Al Jefferson, Greg Monroe, DeAndre Jordan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Roy Hibbert, Enes Kanter and the above mentioned Tyson Chandler, Robin Lopez, Jason Smith, Omer Asik and Brandan Wright. Put simply: There’s absolutely no reason the Nuggets shouldn’t be able to land at least one of these guys given their dearth of current shot blockers and abundance of cash to spend this summer. If this need goes unaddressed the Nuggets will undoubtedly suffer the consequences next season as guys like LeBron James, James Harden and Russell Westbrook will have field days against Denver on a nightly basis.
So please, Tim Connelly, sign a backup center. Do it for the team, do it for the fans, do it for the mental health of the writers like myself who watch this team night in and night out, because if there’s one way to give an advantage to your opponent in today’s NBA, it’s a lack of paint protection.
2. Go after a big-name free agent
The Denver Nuggets are unequivocally one of the worst teams in NBA history to sign marquee players in free agency. Just think of the last big-name free agent signing the Nuggets had. Three years ago? Five years ago? Ten? Eleven years ago the Nuggets swung for the fences (although which fences they were swinging for is totally debatable) and signed Kenyon Martin to a seven-year, $92 million deal that included the surrounding of three first-round draft picks to the Nets. So I guess if you want to start there you can. The Nuggets also managed to sign David Thompson back in 1975 when the NBA was still competing with the ABA, so I guess that counts as something as well. But in general, over the course of their history the Nuggets have fallen flat on their faces when its come to recruiting star players. At some point that trend has to end, and what better time than right now.
While fans are likely to remain cynical about the Nuggets’ chances of making a splash in free agency — and justifiably so given their history — it’s important to keep in mind that the past doesn’t dictate the future. For the first time in a really long time the Nuggets actually have money to spend. Because between the Karl-epoch salaries of Anthony, Iverson, Martin and Camby and the multitude of contracts left on the books from the Melo trade in 2010, the Nuggets have been virtually strapped with some combination of exorbitant contracts for the last decade. Now, with only three players on the books for the 2016-17 season, the Nuggets have no choice but to be aggressive in free agency, for the state of the franchise depends on it.
If the Nuggets flop yet again on the open market here is what will happen: Gallinari will leave next year, Lawson the year after that (if he hasn’t been traded already), Chandler will leave sometime either this year or next, no free agent in their right mind will want to sign with the Nuggets after that, and within two years the Nuggets will be nothing but a seemingly perpetual lottery team for the next five years. And even if the Nuggets do manage to land a few top three picks there’s no telling how talented those draft classes will be, whether the Nuggets will actually hit on their picks and whether those players will remain healthy far into their careers (see: Rose, Derrick; George, Paul). So if the Nuggets want to retain their more popular players it’s incredibly important they conquer the open market, spend some money, sign a few vets and nab another star player — in the process displaying to Gallinari and Lawson that they’re still committed to winning.
So what classifies a star player?
I don’t think it has to be much. The Nuggets aren’t gonna sign Dwyane Wade or LeBron James. They probably don’t even stand a chance with names like Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love — yet they should still be out there trying their hardest. What the Nuggets really need is to sign someone like Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Brook Lopez or DeAndre Jordan. Sure, these guys are gonna cost a lot, probably close to the max or right at it. But again, the Nuggets have money to spend. And it’s not about the money, it’s about making a statement: The Denver Nuggets are committed to winning. We’re committed to winning now and we’re committed to winning in the future. If they make this statement, incumbent players will become revived with optimism and hope, and in turn a winning culture is fostered. People want to be here, not only players you draft, but players who hit the market in free agency. But it has to start somewhere. Even if it’s a less-excitable, civilian name like Al Jefferson, Greg Monroe, Tyson Chandler or Wesley Matthews, the Nuggets have to conclude the summer having done something worthwhile in free agency. The draft alone will not satisfy the current players, fans, nor anybody else associated with this team. The Nuggets must take the daunting step of cajoling outsiders to the city of Denver. Otherwise, things could go downhill fast and stay there for a long, long time.
