Maybe the Denver Nuggets won’t go superstar-hunting this summer after all.
Danilo Gallinari owns a player option worth $16.1 million for next season that he is expected to decline. If the Nuggets renounce his cap hold, they can squeeze out more than $34 million in cap space—enough to offer almost anyone a max contract. Waive Mike Miller, and they’re in “We can sign anyone we want territory.”
Carrying Gallinari’s cap hold, though, considerably eats into that flexibility. His pre-contract hit sits at $22.6 million, which would leave the Nuggets with a little more than $11 million in breathing room. That’s a big difference.
But Denver’s general manager, Tim Connelly, isn’t resigned to simply letting Gallinari go, per Altitude Sports’ Chris Dempsey:
Connelly said retaining Gallo is a top priority
Then Mason Plumlee, who is a restricted free agent
And an extension for Gary Harris— Chris Dempsey (@chrisadempsey) April 26, 2017
In a vacuum, this pecking order of priorities makes sense. But if the Nuggets are looking to make an immediate leap, they probably won’t do it by paying near-max money for Gallinari.
Then again, they may not be looking to make a leap or sign a superstar free agent. As Connelly pointed out, insta-turnarounds aren’t a thing in Denver:
Connelly: "I think you're only great in a market like ours, through internal development."
— Chris Dempsey (@chrisadempsey) April 26, 2017
His point is the #Nuggets had a chance to get a couple of big name players in trades, but they were asking for Nuggets bright young stars
— Chris Dempsey (@chrisadempsey) April 26, 2017
This is a very good point. But even if the Nuggets aren’t bent on landing an outside superstar this summer, Gallinari’s timeline still runs counter to theirs.
He’ll turn 29 in August. This next contract will take him into 32. It’s fine if they want to keep him, but they’ll have to set a limit on how much they’re willing to spend. He’s a candidate to land short-term max money or long-term near-max money, both of which are potential bills that eat into flexibility the Nuggets might wish they had later.
