Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:<\/p>\n
NBA Insider<\/p>\n
The Nuggets are down to one remaining roster spot after signing Summer League standout Curtis Jones to the team\u2019s final two-way roster spot on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The starting five looks set with Cam Johnson replacing Michael Porter Jr. in Denver\u2019s starting lineup, while Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Peyton Watson and Jonas Valanciunas look likely to earn reserve roles. That doesn\u2019t make occupying Denver\u2019s final roster spot very appealing to those who are looking to play meaningful roles.<\/p>\n
Here are the options that make the most sense when it comes to using the final standard roster spot:<\/p>\n
Back-up guard<\/p>\n
There\u2019s still some uncertainty behind Jamal Murray. Jalen Pickett and Bruce Brown are Denver\u2019s best options to back up Murray. Pickett played the best basketball of his short career in April but didn\u2019t play many meaningful minutes in the postseason. Brown showed he could serve as a back-up point guard last time in Denver, but that was two injury-plagued seasons ago.<\/p>\n
The best options left on the free agent market are Russell Westbrook and Malcolm Brogdon.<\/p>\n
Back-up forward<\/p>\n
Denver has plenty of depth and options on the wings, and it looks like the Nuggets addressed the back-up center position by trading for Jonas Valanciunas. Nikola Jokic and Valanciunas give the Nuggets a pair of bigs that can play every night, while DaRon Holmes II, Zeke Nnaji and Aaron Gordon could help behind Jokic on a given night. Gordon is the only reliable option at power forward. Despite a strong Summer League, Holmes is still a rookie coming off an Achilles injury, while Nnaji and Hunter Tyson are yet to prove they can contribute on an every-game basis.<\/p>\n
Jonathan Kuminga is a restricted free agent, but he\u2019s probably the best option on the board. Maybe Golden State is more willing to let him walk if Al Horford joins the Warriors.<\/p>\n
Leave it open<\/p>\n
If the Nuggets feel like they\u2019ve got enough depth and versatility on the roster with 14 players under contract, the smart play could be leaving the 15th spot open. That would give the Nuggets the ability to address any issues that should arise over the course of the season whether due to injury or lack of production. Additionally, if the roster proves to be shallower than expected, the Nuggets could use the open roster spot to make a two-for-one trade ahead of the deadline or add someone on the buyout market later in the season.<\/p>\n
This looks like the most likely option for now.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Woody Paige: Holmes, Watson and Jones head up myriad of offseason moves for Nuggets<\/a><\/p>\n What I\u2019m Thinking<\/p>\n Jonas Valanciunas deserves the benefit of doubt.<\/p>\n \n Your daily report on everything sports in Colorado – covering the Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and columns from Woody Paige and Paul Klee.\n <\/p>\n Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.<\/p>\n The veteran center is a well-regarded professional with 13 years of NBA experience to his name. Mutual interest between Valanciunas and Greek club Panathinaikos seemed to rub some Nuggets fans the wrong way, but the Lithuanian addressed the issue via Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas, of European outlet BasketNews.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to clear the air about my playing situation next season now that Denver has made their decision to keep me. The idea of playing for Panathinaikos, closer to home, was very exciting to me, but that will have to wait,\u201d\u00a0Valanciunas said. \u201cI am fully committed to honoring my contract with the Nuggets this season and will give it my all to compete for a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n It’s been a challenging last few seasons for Valanciunas. After spending the first six seasons of his NBA career with the Raptors, the 33-year-old has played for the Grizzlies, Pelicans, Wizards and Kings. He\u2019s been traded four times since 2021, including the move that sent him to Denver this summer.<\/p>\n If Valanciunas shows up in Denver and doesn\u2019t put his best foot forward for his sixth NBA team, Nuggets fans can react accordingly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Denver Nuggets, rest of West still chasing Oklahoma City Thunder | Vinny’s take<\/a><\/p>\n What They\u2019re Saying<\/p>\n – Executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer opened last week\u2019s press conference introducing Cam Johnson by thanking Michael Porter Jr.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted to say thank you to Michael Porter, Jr, for the last seven years with his contributions to the organization,\u201d Tenzer said. \u201cWe don’t win a championship without him, and we know he’s going to do great things in Brooklyn.\u201d<\/p>\n – Cam Johnson told a story of being welcomed to the Nuggets by a group at breakfast in Phoenix, of all places, during his introductory press conference.<\/p>\n \u201cI was at a breakfast spot just near my house, just casually chilling and this whole table, I’m talking 10 old people were like shaking like beside themselves. They were like \u2018We’ve been Nuggets fans for so long. We live in Arizona, and we’re huge Nuggets fans.\u2019 Like the ladies were almost crying and stuff. I’m like, \u2018Oh, this is awesome,\u2019 but it was pretty random. It was pretty soon after the trade, so the excitement around it has been really positive for me, and you know, just a chance at winning is something that I really relish and something that I’ll do everything in my power to contribute to.\u201d<\/p>\n