Nuggets idea: stretch and waive + FA

[realEAST]

Not a trade as such...
But looking at Nuggets depth chart, I think they could use backup PG since Murray will likely be load managed as he is injury prone, so there is room for another guy who can handle the ball. Not sure Pickett is that good (might be wrong).

At the same time, Nnaji likely isn't going to get a lot of minutes, if at all, as I think both Valanciunas and Holmes are ahead of him in pecking order. And he is not really a tradeable contract. And Nuggets have no assets.

If he is stretched and waived it would drop Nuggets below luxury tax, and it would open open then enough space to sign two guys on vet minimum contracts. And there are some players left who could be interesting additions

That could be either something like a combination of Cam Payne or Monte Morris and Achiuwa or Boucher - of course if the Nuggets are certain they are going to sign. This way they add another decent guard to a rotation of Strawther and Hardaway, while adding another big instead of Nnaji.

They can also offer around 4.7 mil a year to Brogdon and still stay below luxury tax with 14 players on the roster. He would be a really nice addition for them; potential problem, I think he has been linked to Minnesota.

Downside of all this is having 3 milion in dead salary for 7 years, but that is not such a large amount, especially with cap rising, and it can allow to add a player or two who can be in rotation during regular season.

[babyjax13]

I think it is perfectly reasonable as long as they have guys lined up already. Brogdon would be great.

[babyjax13]

I think it is perfectly reasonable as long as they have guys lined up already. Brogdon would be great.

[HornetJail]

sneaky way to reduce the total of dead salary owed?

Nnaji+2032 2nd+cash considerations
to the Mavs for
OMax+Hardy+Powell

Hardy fits in the TPE from the Porter/Johnson trade.

then stretch them all out

Powell stretches at 1.33M for 3 years minus something if he ever gets signed by anybody again. Big if, imo
Hardy stretches at 1.71M for 7 years minus something if he gets signed, which he probably does, right?
OMax gets option declined and stretched at 1M for 3 years. bet he gets picked up somewhere too so that number drops as well. Could possibly just get OMax sent to a 3rd team that wants a flyer on him?

Dallas total: $19M
Denver total: $23M

Immediate cap savings for DAL are 2 roster spots and $5M now. Currently they're not even a min salary away from the 2nd apron, this gives them breathing room to sign some minimums.

Denver eats about $4M for the next three years and just $1.7M for the following four... and realistically those numbers are lower after those players sign their next contracts.

[jayjaysee]

I think OP makes sense and there might be some additional benefits to ducking the tax for one year?

Denver will likely be pushing close to the second apron the rest of Joker//Murray’s contracts, so the dead cap is minor but would scare me if I was Denver. 3.3 seems minor, but that’s almost two vet mins (zero year guys) and sliding under the second apron..

Next season Braun and/or Watson needs to get paid. The next Cam and/or Strawther.. Denver will be right back near the second apron shortly, so I wouldn’t take the dead salary.

But if Brogdon willing to sign, they can trade any of their mins and sign him to 4.5 mil. Be hard capped at first apron with 14 players but worth it imo.

[realEAST]

I think OP makes sense and there might be some additional benefits to ducking the tax for one year?

I think dropping below luxury tax would be important for them to avoid repeater tax and reset a clock on it for the future when they will likely be more expensive.

[Scoot McGroot]

sneaky way to reduce the total of dead salary owed?

Nnaji+2032 2nd+cash considerations
to the Mavs for
OMax+Hardy+Powell

Hardy fits in the TPE from the Porter/Johnson trade.

then stretch them all out

Powell stretches at 1.33M for 3 years minus something if he ever gets signed by anybody again. Big if, imo
Hardy stretches at 1.71M for 7 years minus something if he gets signed, which he probably does, right?
OMax gets option declined and stretched at 1M for 3 years. bet he gets picked up somewhere too so that number drops as well. Could possibly just get OMax sent to a 3rd team that wants a flyer on him?

Dallas total: $19M
Denver total: $23M

Immediate cap savings for DAL are 2 roster spots and $5M now. Currently they're not even a min salary away from the 2nd apron, this gives them breathing room to sign some minimums.

Denver eats about $4M for the next three years and just $1.7M for the following four... and realistically those numbers are lower after those players sign their next contracts.

Right of set off and reducing cap hit only counts if a player signs during the original years they were under contract, not the full stretch years, and only if they sign for more than the vet minimum. Powell is expiring, and unlikely to sign for more than the vet minimum this year, so he’s unlikely to reduce the cap hit. OMax is unlikely to get more than vet minimum this year, so same situation there.

Hardy has a chance if he makes more than the vet minimum either this year (unlikely) or the two years after.

[jayjaysee]

I think Dallas would be better off stretching Powell than taking on Nnaji’s third season for a second personally. Nnaji would just be a really bad contract on a team with 2 meh starting centers and 2 starting power forwards…

[jayjaysee]

I think OP makes sense and there might be some additional benefits to ducking the tax for one year?

I think dropping below luxury tax would be important for them to avoid repeater tax and reset a clock on it for the future when they will likely be more expensive.

Yeah, I see both sides honestly.

But I’m more afraid of the second apron than repeater tax so would want to keep as much wiggle room as possible.

I think next summer Jonas is likely gone, they can use their 2026 first to turn Nnaji into a cheap backup big if Holmes isn’t that and they can pay Watson/Braun under second apron. Or they can use their 2026 first to dump Nnaji (get a second or two back as wel) and sign some cheap depth. Then the following year they can plan on it being the one year over the second apron?

If Brogdon is willing to sign for 4.6-5 mil, you dump Pickett and get Brogdon though.

[jbk1234]

sneaky way to reduce the total of dead salary owed?

Nnaji+2032 2nd+cash considerations
to the Mavs for
OMax+Hardy+Powell

Hardy fits in the TPE from the Porter/Johnson trade.

then stretch them all out

Powell stretches at 1.33M for 3 years minus something if he ever gets signed by anybody again. Big if, imo
Hardy stretches at 1.71M for 7 years minus something if he gets signed, which he probably does, right?
OMax gets option declined and stretched at 1M for 3 years. bet he gets picked up somewhere too so that number drops as well. Could possibly just get OMax sent to a 3rd team that wants a flyer on him?

Dallas total: $19M
Denver total: $23M

Immediate cap savings for DAL are 2 roster spots and $5M now. Currently they're not even a min salary away from the 2nd apron, this gives them breathing room to sign some minimums.

Denver eats about $4M for the next three years and just $1.7M for the following four... and realistically those numbers are lower after those players sign their next contracts.

If I'm paying two seconds, I want, at a minimum, to cut Nnaji's salary in half.

[Texas Chuck]

Way off-topic but I'd have Dwight Powell with a better chance at a roster spot than Hardy. Not because I think any team wants Dwight Powell in their rotation, but because we see teams signing vets they have no intention of really playing for leadership all the time. And Dwight Powell is perfect in that role.

Hardy is a dime a dozen bad combo guard. There are dozens of guys his level on the street at any time. I'd have Prosper more likely to get a look because there is at least a path to him being a contributor even if its unlikely.

[BelgradeNugget]

Props to OP for creative idea, but I don't think Nuggets need to do this, and here is why

1. Teams that have 2 playmakers capable of organizing offense as starters don't need aditional PG off the bench. They can split their time and always have one on the court. It was the case with CP3, Harden, it is the case with SGA, J-Dub, it is the case with Nuggets - Jokic, Murray. And it worked perfectly during their championship run with Jokic, Murray, Bruce Brown. BB would work as seconday ball handler, playmaker with Murray and primary ball handler, seconday playmaker with Jokic. Pickett showed he could serve as 3rd PG, in and out of rotation when nedded. If they decide they need more, I wouldn't be against signing Monte Morris on min

2. Nuggets top 9 rotation will be Jokic, Murray, CB, Cam, AG, Brown, THJ, JVal, Watson. That is 9, good depth. Holmes will not play a lot as rookie I gues. Nnaji may be in front of him in rotation at the start of season. And Nnaji's case is strange, he was The Worst player playing at C last year and very good as PF

https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4766/positions#tab-team_efficiency

it may be place for him playing pf as 10th player. If things don't work for him he has 3 years on his contract. After 26/27 season he is expiring contract, this offseason Nuggets traded even worst player on exp contract (Dario Saric) for Valanciunas. So if he doesn't work wait for 2 seasons and trade him, no need to strach and waive

3. To duck the tax this year, they can simply trade Tyson with some cash for any 2nd round pick from this draft on standard NBA contract.

[BigGargamel]

I have liked the idea of adding Brogdon, but the Nuggets seem to be satisfied with Bruce Brown as the backup PG. I think they're done making moves.

[nate33]

The Wizards could absorb Nnaji into their TPE. For compensation, I'd want a 2026 FRP swap (the 2026 OKC pick for the 2026 DEN pick) and another FRP swap far into the future - either 2031 or 2033, with 2033 being preferable. (Are 2033 picks eligible to be traded yet?)

[gswhoops]

The Wizards could absorb Nnaji into their TPE. For compensation, I'd want a 2026 FRP swap (the 2026 OKC pick for the 2026 DEN pick) and another FRP swap far into the future - either 2031 or 2033, with 2033 being preferable. (Are 2033 picks eligible to be traded yet?)

If I were Denver, I'd rather just stretch-waive Nnaji if that's the cost of dumping him

[realEAST]

I think OP makes sense and there might be some additional benefits to ducking the tax for one year?

I think dropping below luxury tax would be important for them to avoid repeater tax and reset a clock on it for the future when they will likely be more expensive.

Yeah, I see both sides honestly.

But I’m more afraid of the second apron than repeater tax so would want to keep as much wiggle room as possible.

I think next summer Jonas is likely gone, they can use their 2026 first to turn Nnaji into a cheap backup big if Holmes isn’t that and they can pay Watson/Braun under second apron. Or they can use their 2026 first to dump Nnaji (get a second or two back as wel) and sign some cheap depth. Then the following year they can plan on it being the one year over the second apron?

If Brogdon is willing to sign for 4.6-5 mil, you dump Pickett and get Brogdon though.

I agree, it depends on how their FO asses their priorities and future vision of the team. Honestly, I haven't looked that far in the future, but I thought since they don't have many picks and are likely to be pretty good, a season in 2nd apron won't be too damning if they time it well; meanwhile, given how unwillimg to spend that FO has been and how taxing repeater tax is, it might be of interest to them to avoid it.

But, let's say they are not looking to duck the luxury this year, couldn't they just offer BAE to Brogdon, even without dumping Pickett, as they would still be below the 1st apron? And then dump salary next year as you suggested.

[nate33]

The Wizards could absorb Nnaji into their TPE. For compensation, I'd want a 2026 FRP swap (the 2026 OKC pick for the 2026 DEN pick) and another FRP swap far into the future - either 2031 or 2033, with 2033 being preferable. (Are 2033 picks eligible to be traded yet?)

If I were Denver, I'd rather just stretch-waive Nnaji if that's the cost of dumping him

Having Nnaji's phantom salary on the books for the next 5 years is going to make it harder to build depth without luxtax and Apron problems.

Also, it's not really that high of a price. The 2026 pick swap is probably only 3 or 4 spots at the bottom of the first round. Denver would fall from #26 or so to #30. The 2031 swap probably won't even happen as Jokic should still be good then and the Wizards have historically never been good. (They haven't won 50 games in literally 47 years.)

This is just a high upside gamble by the Wizards on the 10% chance that Jokic is injured or something in 2031.

[Scoot McGroot]

The Wizards could absorb Nnaji into their TPE. For compensation, I'd want a 2026 FRP swap (the 2026 OKC pick for the 2026 DEN pick) and another FRP swap far into the future - either 2031 or 2033, with 2033 being preferable. (Are 2033 picks eligible to be traded yet?)

No. Not yet. 7 drafts out at any time. 2032 is the furthest out right now.

[BelgradeNugget]

I think OP makes sense and there might be some additional benefits to ducking the tax for one year?

I think dropping below luxury tax would be important for them to avoid repeater tax and reset a clock on it for the future when they will likely be more expensive.

Yeah, I see both sides honestly.

But I’m more afraid of the second apron than repeater tax so would want to keep as much wiggle room as possible.

I think next summer Jonas is likely gone, they can use their 2026 first to turn Nnaji into a cheap backup big if Holmes isn’t that and they can pay Watson/Braun under second apron. Or they can use their 2026 first to dump Nnaji (get a second or two back as wel) and sign some cheap depth. Then the following year they can plan on it being the one year over the second apron?

If Brogdon is willing to sign for 4.6-5 mil, you dump Pickett and get Brogdon though.

I think this season for the Nuggets will be about determining the value of Watson. They will resing Braun for 20-25 M. Question will be is Watson worth going into 2nd apron, is his new contract in the range of 12-15 M more valuable than resigning JVal, Bruce B and THJ for the same money combined.
If they decide they don't want to go into 2nd apron and must dump Nnaji next year it wont be so hard. He will be on on 2 year contract and combined with 2026 1st they could do it. But it is the question for next offseason.

[gswhoops]

The Wizards could absorb Nnaji into their TPE. For compensation, I'd want a 2026 FRP swap (the 2026 OKC pick for the 2026 DEN pick) and another FRP swap far into the future - either 2031 or 2033, with 2033 being preferable. (Are 2033 picks eligible to be traded yet?)

If I were Denver, I'd rather just stretch-waive Nnaji if that's the cost of dumping him

Having Nnaji's phantom salary on the books for the next 5 years is going to make it harder to build depth without luxtax and Apron problems.

Also, it's not really that high of a price. The 2026 pick swap is probably only 3 or 4 spots at the bottom of the first round. Denver would fall from #26 or so to #30. The 2031 swap probably won't even happen as Jokic should still be good then and the Wizards have historically never been good. (They haven't won 50 games in literally 47 years.)

This is just a high upside gamble by the Wizards on the 10% chance that Jokic is injured or something in 2031.

Jokic is a free agent in 2 years, I wouldn't offer any swaps past that point until after he's signed his extension unless they're lotto protected.

I don't think Nnaji's stretched salary, which would be barely more than a vet min deal, is going to create THAT many problems that I'd risk offering up a potentially post-Jokic unprotected swap, even if I feel good about him extending.