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Coming off an NBA championship often means that teams want to run it back with the same core from their winning year. This is the same strategy that the Denver Nuggets used during the offseason. The Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic-led core remains intact with only a few departures and arrivals through NBA Free Agency.
A huge departure from the team was Bruce Brown. The Indiana Pacers signed him with a two-year, $45 million deal which was too expensive to match for the Nuggets. Another veteran wing that they lost was Jeff Green. The journeyman now transitions into the Houston Rockets. A two-year $16 million deal might be seen as a significant salary cap dent for the organization. Thomas Bryant and Jack White are also headed into new teams as Denver could not give them a better offer sheet.
Change is normal for an NBA franchise. The best general manager Calvin Booth could have done was add new faces. These hopefully kindle the same dynamic as their triumphant squad from the previous year. One way they were able to settle those roster gaps was through NBA Free Agency. Let us take a walk through the various signings that happened for the Nikola Jokic-led organization.
Nuggets re-sign Reggie Jackson on a two-year, $10.25 million deal
Grade: C
Michael Malone did not utilize Reggie Jackson as much in their postseason run en route to an NBA championship. The 33-year-old guard only played six games with an average of three minutes each. His production may have taken a big hit due to the discomforts he faced before their deep run. Notably, Jackson nursed an Achilles, oblique, and back injury before the NBA Playoffs.
Denver may still get their much-needed spark plug in Reggie. His best asset is still his contributions on the offensive end of the court. He knocked down 41.1% of his field goal attempts which rewarded him with 10.2 points per game.
His three-point shooting remains to be a big knock on his skillset. He only notched a 33.3% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. The team would need him to step up as they lost another volume scorer in Bruce Brown. Nikola Jokic also loves bailing out plays by passing to an open perimeter man. If he can not knock down those looks consistently, their chances of a repeat might be affected.
Nuggets re-sign DeAndre Jordan on a one-year, $3.19 million deal
Grade: C-
It is not a secret that DeAndre Jordan is past his prime. His 39 games played last season were still highly efficient. He notched 5.1 points per game on a solid 76.5% field goal shooting percentage. Crashing the boards still remains his specialty. He had 5.2 rebounds per game when he saw action. Although, this is not why the Nuggets are keeping him.
Coach Malone said it the best, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
“If you ask every NBA player and coach who knows DeAndre, he has a tremendous IQ. He’s one of those players that knew every opponent’s play calls, and he would be able to call it out and help his team. He’s the same way even though he’s not playing. He’s engaged. He’s listening,” he said about the 34-year-old big man.
He is starting to become an old head mentor to gel team chemistry in Denver. While that may be respectable, it remains a question of why they could not clear up space for a bigger splash in NBA free agency. Nonetheless, sticking with their veteran can never hurt as much.
Nuggets sign Justin Holiday from the Dallas Mavericks on a one-year, 3.19 million deal
Grade: D
The Nuggets could have done better with the amount of cap space that Bruce Brown and Jeff Green freed up for them. Acquiring Justin Holiday remains a question mark in the heads of most fans. He only notched 4.5 points per game on 37.7% field goal shooting. His spot-up shooting from beyond the arc was not even as impressive because he only knocked down 32.2% of his shots from beyond the arc.
The team could have saved up for a bigger splash or rewarded someone else with a better contract. Justin Holiday may be able to give them some veteran presence off the floor. Aside from that, he will have to prove that his role in Malone's system is serviceable.