Expansion Draft Scenario -- Who would you protect?

[Texas Chuck]

Trades and Transactions board is going to be doing an expansion draft project where we imagine we are running a new expansion team starting play in 2015/16 and having to create our initial roster pulled from current NBA teams.

So in advance of that I'm trying to get the best possible idea of what 8 players each franchise would most likely choose to protect. And while last year we depended on our Trade board posters to provide us that list, this year we thought it would be more accurate if we consulted with the team boards.

So I would love to get your opinions itt on which 8 players you think the Nuggets would protect in an expansion draft. I am attaching a link to last year's project so you can see some of the criteria we used when assembling the expansion team. Other than the cap figures the rules would be roughly the same this year.

http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=1348605

We'd also love to have any and all of you come participate in this project.

[MHZ]

Good question given the serviceable level of about 12-15 guys they have.

My best guess is:

Mudiay, Nurkic, Chandler, Gallo, Jokic, Harris, Faried, Lauvergne

[psimanic1]

Maybe Nelson over Harris/Lauvergne, or Barton.
Something like Mudiay, Nurkic, Chandler, Gallo, Jokic, Faried and two last spots go to Nelson/Lauvergne, Barton/Harris.

[The Rebel]

I think it would be
Mudiay, Nurkic, Gallo, Chandler, Jokic, Faried, Nelson, Barton.

[skywalker33]

I'd say

Mudiay, Nurkic, Gallo, Jokic, Chandler, Barton, Lauvergne and Faried.

Almost left Faried off, but while I don't think he is part of our future, still may have some trade value.

[MHZ]

You think that's who they would actually keep, or who you'd want them to keep? No way they let Harris go in an expansion draft if he's on a rookie contract and still only 20 (3.5 years younger than Barton). I get that he wasn't spectacular his rookie year (at 19), but he's got to have some reasonable chance to play before we cast him off. His value to the Nuggets is almost certainly higher than Barton's.

I'm not a Lauvergne guy, personally, but it just seems tough to envision them holding Nelson over him given relative value of both. I get that they like Nelson, but a 33-year-old PG who isn't in the future beyond a couple years seems like an awfully odd hold in an expansion scenario.

To me, I think the top 7 is pretty firm (including Harris). Not sure which way they'd go with the 8th spot, but I'll side with the big guy.

[The Rebel]

I think they like Harris, but I also think they would try to sneak him through the process, after all he was pretty bad last year and did not do all that great in summer league, people forget teams were not nearly as high on him as the Nuggets and some fans reportedly were. The Nuggets reportedly wanted Barton badly in the Afflalo deal, and they still seem high on him, so I think they risk it.

While I think Connelly might be high on Lauvergne, to me he is not a guy you protect, he appears his ceiling is as a 3rd or 4th big, with limited upside and easily replaceable. They brought back Nelson for his leadership and to be a placeholder, I think the Nuggets would protect him due to knowing this team needs Nelson desperatly for that role.

[bondom34]

Hey all, from what I could get, majority was:

Mudiay, Nurkic, Chandler, Gallinari, Faried, Barton, Lauvergne, Jokic
Thanks to everyone!