What a meeting with LeBron James would mean for the Nuggets

The Nuggets were one of the biggest winners (and spenders) across the league as free agency opened Saturday night. Denver committed around $200 million to two players — Nikola Jokic and Will Barton — on contracts that will become official once the NBA’s league-wide moratorium ends on July 6.

Denver isn’t finished either. The Nuggets will look to shed salary and decrease the steep luxury tax bill that it’s currently facing. Players on short-term contracts like Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur, Wilson Chandler and Mason Plumlee are the names to keep an eye on.

After an impressive draft night haul where the Nuggets snagged Michael Porter Jr. 14th overall, Jarred Vanderbilt 41st and Thomas Welsh 58th and a notable opening night in free agency, Denver is looking to ride its hot hand a bit further. Yahoo Sports reported late Saturday night that the Nuggets will aggressively pursue a meeting with LeBron James.

BSN Denver wrote in June that there was somewhat of a belief around the league that the Nuggets had a slim chance, albeit a very slim one, of landing a meeting with James and reporting from Altitude 950 — a local radio station owned by Stan Kroenke — indicated this week that there was a chance reps from the two sides could meet.

If the Nuggets were to land James, who’s still expected to sign with the Lakers this summer, they’d have to perform an impressive display of real-time, fast-acting salary cap gymnastics to clear enough room for what would likely be a sign-and-trade with the Cavaliers. High-priced salaries outside of Jokic would be on the move. Future draft picks would surely be hemorrhaged. But before that scenario can be looked at as a real and genuine possibility, Denver would need to secure a meeting with the league’s four-time Most Valuable Player.

There’s some belief around the league that there’s a non-zero chance that can happen — which is more than most of the league can say. The Nuggets have an attractive young core of Jokic, Barton, Jamal Murray and Gary Harris, a coach in Michael Malone who James has played for, and a democratic style of play that can gently ease James into the twilight of his career.

With the Nuggets, James wouldn’t have to carry the load he was left with last season in Cleveland. Denver’s supporting cast trumps what’s presently available to him in Los Angeles, without factoring in a Kawhi Leonard trade or another big name teaming up with James with the Lakers. Nuggets president Josh Kroenke and his familiarity with James and his inner circle would surely be another force driving a potential summit.

Even if James didn’t choose the Nuggets as his next destination, a meeting would be a huge accomplishment for a franchise that until recently, has had trouble garnering the interest of top free agents. That narrative began to shift in 2016 when Denver met with and nearly signed Dwyane Wade. It continued last summer when the Nuggets inked their top free agent target Paul Millsap to a three-year $90 million contract.

In two years time, the Nuggets have remade their culture into a self-motivated workplace that players around the league find attractive. Clinching a meeting with the league’s best player and marquee free agent would be an accomplishment for an organization that wasn’t close to being in this position a year ago.

A sitdown with James could also act as a play towards next summer’s free agency when the Nuggets will have room to add another max-level free agent if they decline Paul Millsap’s team option for the 2019-20 season. The crop of free agents in 2019 doesn’t have the star power that this year’s class does, but it’s deep and headlined by Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. If James signs a one-plus-one deal with the Lakers he could also re-enter the market in 2019, as could other free agents who will sign short-term deals.

Speaking with James would dramatically raise the Nuggets’ clout around the league ahead of a summer where Denver could do real damage on the open market. Factor in a possible 50-win season that’s potentially on the horizon and the Nuggets’ image could change around the league rather quickly.

The Nuggets’ odds of convincing James to take his talents to Denver, even after a meeting, are razor-thin. But what a sitdown could do has ramifications beyond this summer.