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DENVER NUGGETS: state of the franchise

State of the Franchise

Projected Cap Space (before luxury tax): $8.8 million

Background: A few years ago, former Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri acquired SF/SG Andre Iguodala from the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the 3 team trade that landed C Dwight Howard in LA. During the 2012-13 season, the Nuggets finished with the third seed in the Western Conference and the best home record in the NBA. Head coach George Karl also went on to win the Coach of the Year award. Although they lost in the first round of the playoffs, they had quite a season. Then, they mysteriously let both Karl and Iguodala walk in free agency and are now left as a mediocre team in the competitive Western Conference, with the only bright spots being young upcoming stars PG Ty Lawson and PF Kenneth Faried.

Current Financial State: The Nuggets have $65 million committed in contracts next year, assuming they accept SF Wilson Chandler and SG Randy Foye's team options, which are $7 million and $3 million respectively. With Faried signed to a brand new 5 year/$60 million extension and Lawson under contract through the 2016-17 season on a 4 year/$48 million dollar deal, the Nuggets have little money to spend. Because they have an abundance of money locked up in those two long term deals, the Nuggets need to win now. They can either free up some space before the season is over and take a shot at a star through free agency or trade for some quality players with their plethora of depth and draft picks.

Targets: The Nuggets could free up cap space by trading away some highly paid players such as SG Arron Afflalo, SF Danilo Gallinari, and C Javale McGee. This would give them the cap space needed to sign a star. The most notable free agents in this year's class include: SF/PF LeBron James (CLE), PF/C Kevin Love (CLE), PF/C LaMarcus Aldridge (POR), C Marc Gasol (MEM), PF/C Tim Duncan (SA), PG Rajon Rondo (DAL), C Al Jefferson (CHA), and SG Dwyane Wade (MIA). However, many of these big names can be quickly eliminated. LeBron and Love are both likely to accept their player options, Aldridge has previously indicated that he would like to stay in Portland, and Duncan and Wade are both highly unlikely to play anywhere else besides their respective teams. That leaves just Gasol, Rondo, and Jefferson. Rondo plays the same position as Lawson, and Gasol and Jefferson are both a bit too old for the young Nuggets’ core. This eliminates the option of achieving their goals through free agency. The other option is to trade for some good young players to bolster their starting lineup. One name that pops up is C Brook Lopez of Brooklyn. The Nets are looking to trade away their star players in the hopes of a tear down or restart. They are looking to ship out Lopez and his 2 year/$32 million contract with a player option on the second year that he's likely to accept this offseason. However, the Nuggets would gladly take on that contract, aven though it is an overpayment. This is because it expires at the end of next season, so they could re-sign him to a contract worth less money, perhaps $12-13 million annually, and go after another free agent in the stacked 2016 free agency class. Getting Lopez would probably mean shipping out Mcgee and Afflalo to even out the salaries, as well as possibly throwing in a second round draft pick.The Nuggets likely won't have enough money to sign a star in 2016, but they can go ahead and sign a second-tier player while other teams chase the big names such as LeBron, SF/PF Kevin Durant (OKC), C Dwight Howard (HOU), and PG Chris Paul (LAC). Two targets that come to mind in this offseason are SG Lance Stephenson (CHA) and SF/SG Nicolas Batum (POR). The Hornets will have a team option on Stephenson, but he has been disappointing thus far. They are both all around players at the wing position who can do just about everything, and should be paid accordingly. Although it is hard to predict these players’ values two years from now, Batum and Stephenson should each be signed for about what they’re making now, approximately $11.5 million and $9 million respectively. However, one must account for the NBA’s new TV deal when predicting future contracts, as this causes the salary cap to be inflated. Either way, the Nuggets should target these guys in hops of building a contender.

The Fit: Lopez fits perfectly with the Nuggets. He is a big man who can put the ball in the basket and block shots, although he lacks skill in the rebounding department. By playing next to Faried, a high energy guy who can grab rebounds and also block shots, the holes in his game will be minimized and the two should blend perfectly together. He's also young, just 26 years old, and should fit in well with the others. After filling the hole at center, the wing position will need to be addressed. By grabbing an all-around small forward like Batum in free agency, they can compensate for Lopez's lack of rebounding as well as spacing the floor. Batum is also a fantastic wing defender, something Denver hasn’t had since Iguodala. By acquiring Lopez and Batum in the next two years, the Nuggets would be in great shape to contend for a title in the future.
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