big honey and the nuggets

This is hilarious😭 pic.twitter.com/MKU0QzGZHp

— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) May 15, 2024

this is so good

heard lebron was incorporating shirtless karaoke into his offseason routine

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5495107/2024/05/15/nuggets-team-dinner-aaron-gordon/

So, what did Gordon do to deserve an exile from off-nights of camaraderie and fine dining with his basketball brothers? He was the only player who didn’t make it to the dinner in Minneapolis on Thursday night when the Nuggets’ title defense was on the brink after those disastrous first two games against Minnesota. The gathering was just what they all needed to brighten the darkest of moods.

You know what happened next. The Nuggets started playing like the Nuggets again — chief among them (now) three-time MVP Nikola Jokić — and took Game 3 in dominant fashion. As such, with the basketball gods having deemed this dinner the secret to all that ailed them, the decision was made that Gordon would not be allowed to attend until their good fortunes came to an end.

So they wined and dined without him at the same restaurant again on Saturday night, then tied the series 2-2 the following evening at Target Center. Gordon, in turn, will now find himself flying solo in Minneapolis yet again. And truth be told, he couldn’t be happier about it.

I'm not mad... in fact I'm laughing about it

its a cold world

he needs to be better

in sportsblab radio a local 50 y/o, reasonably dignified host told of riding an elevator in a jokic singlet when— on strolled joker.

host described wanting to die, but bravely making the smallest of smalltalk. as they partied ways, jokic said matter-of-factly, and way off topic, “it’s too small” and strode away.

re: a post I made after the nuggets fell behind 0-2:

3) this is something that merits a longer and more careful excavation, but malone and calvin booth don’t seem to have the same vision for this team. the nuggets drafted three guys this offseason, only one of whom (strawther) probably had any chance of getting real playoff minutes, but for some reason signed all three to full deals rather than two-ways. despite that, malone never really seriously gave strawther a chance to crack the rotation at the end of the season, so we’re stuck with reggie playing important minutes when it could not be more clear that a) he’s not good enough and b) he does not fit their system. and signing the other guys to full deals instead of two-ways when they weren’t going to be playoff rotation players seems to have been a big mistake when the team obviously needed to shore up their bench somehow

KOC takes a similar angle:

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/5/21/24161611/denver-nuggets-offseason-2024-calvin-booth-michael-malone

Nikola Jokic update pic.twitter.com/WXMQj47c1s

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 13, 2024

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Nuggets

Caldwell-Pope has a player option for $15.4 million that he’d be likely to decline because he can make in the $20 million to $25 million range annually on a new deal. However, the Nuggets might prefer to keep him locked in on that salary for one more year — which would help with the luxury tax and possibly let them skirt the second apron — and instead sign an extension off that number, even if it overpays him in the out years.

For instance, a four-year, $97 million extension — the maximum he’s eligible to receive — would essentially equal five years and $112 million in free agency for Caldwell-Pope or about $22.4 million a year. That would pay him until age 36 — wild stuff for a fifth option who averaged 10 points a game.

Of course, the Nuggets could just agree to a standard new deal with Caldwell-Pope, but it would seem that for virtually any dollar amount in an agreement, Denver should spread that money further into the future and keep that $15.4 million cap hit in 2024-25. As a result, don’t be shocked to see him opt in to the deal in late June with an extension agreed to and then sign the extension when he becomes eligible on July 16. If he opts out at the end of this month, take it as a sign that he’s probably gone.

NBA Champion Deandre Jordan on getting to know Nikola Jokic.

"I can't fuck it up, because if not, he's gonna be like - you're not black serbian." pic.twitter.com/Lwqfqw55h0

— n i k o l a e s t h e t i c (@nikolaesthetic) June 24, 2024

thing I love about this team is the sheer number of normal good dudes on the roster — DJ, jokic, and AG have to all be on the top 20 chill supportive teammates all star team

someone gotta offset that MPJ weirdo energy

jamal’s a bit of a weirdo too — his psycho kobe energy is needed on the court and maybe the locker room but in terms of guys you’d want to chill with he’d prob be last lol

jordanovic

are the nugs gonna let kcp go due to apron considerations, are they going to do something else

I’m waiting pretty eagerly to see how it plays out, and I’ve seen such conflicting reporting that I feel like I have no idea what’s going to happen. it seems clear he’ll decline the player option, but whether that’s to extend or to test the market is hard to say. they have his bird rights so as long as they’re willing to go into the second apron (for him, and for jamal and AG), the core could stay together through the end of jokic’s prime. which at the end of the day is imo the most important thing — the opportunity costs the second apron imposes are worth considering tho

hope they dont have to break the band up over some accounting bs

the country needs celtics nuggets.

btw I got a fat lever rainbow jersey for my birthday, I will be behind enemy lines in LA until the foreseeable future so wish me luck

ha nice

V nice

Denver has landed the Suns' pick at No. 22, source tells ESPN. The Nuggets are sending Phoenix No. 28, No. 56 and two future seconds.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024

holmes has been tightly linked to the nuggets for at least a week now, and I support this move in that we need a backup big and we certainly don’t need any more rookies… but I’d been under the impression the nuggs were just gonna take him at 28

That’s the dude I had thanksgiving dinner with. My cousin is there in the stands with him, they were High school teammates and have remained friends. Super nice kid. I watched most of their high school games a few years back.

sick

nice! sounds like someone we can all root for

wait really!! that’s sick, and a confirmed guy to add to the nuggets wkiw roster

Yeah man we talked ball for like an hour. He was basically like I wanna go anywhere but the pistons or wizards lol. But even back then he was hoping for the nuggets or bucks. Said it was a hard decision to declare, he coulda come out last season but was making crazy NIL money in college.

couple of not unexpected but less than ideal shams bombs

Denver and star Jamal Murray are working toward a four-year, $209 million maximum contract extension this offseason, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Nuggets will present the deal to Murray – a 2023 NBA champion and one of the best clutch players – and sides expect agreement. pic.twitter.com/tOZ7UBWuli

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2024

Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is declining his $15.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season to become a free agent, sources tell me and @Tjonesonthenba. Caldwell-Pope – a two-time NBA champion – is expected to receive interest from multiple teams with salary cap space. pic.twitter.com/R1P8fhqBfn

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2024

still seems like KCP re-signing at a higher but not totally unreasonable AAV is a strong possibility. hopefully the bruce brown situation was instructive

kevin, congrats

Denver is trading Reggie Jackson to Charlotte with three unprotected second-round picks, source tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024

heh

https://i.imgur.com/lshNrjj.png

our long national nightmare has ended

Keep getting locked, but… Denver is trading the Nuggets’ own seconds in 2025, 2029 and 2030 to Charlotte of move off Reggie Jackson’s $5.2 million salary for next season, league sources told @YahooSports.

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 27, 2024

wait they’re TRADING three picks to offload reggie?

yeah

oh…

seems like a lot just to offload $5m

he’s really bad and they’re up against the apron. but still

Holy fuck bro please keep the beard and mustache this is aura pic.twitter.com/BhZOSVBKZ7

— moose (@MooseRantanen) June 27, 2024

new era/aura

oh no

so close to zangief cosplay

feeling pretty bummed about this off-season and the team’s trajectory. it seems likely now that KCP will walk and the nuggets will get nothing in return. the team is in a tough spot because under most scenarios, re-signing KCP (which they can do at any number since they have his bird rights) puts them into the second apron and severely limits their future flexibility. but losing KCP risks capping their ceiling and squandering some serious championship equity.

I’ve thought for a while that while he’s been great for the team, KCP is probably the most expendable starter. he’s an excellent defender and shooter, though both of those skills are highly dependent on his mobility and he’s about to hit his mid-thirties, and maybe losing him a year early is preferable to two years too late… but if the alternative is getting nothing of real value in return, that’s a bummer

yeah letting him walk sucks is prob the right move but they really need to hit on some guys

New cba succcccks

if i were an nba team i would simply not pay my role players max salaries

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope intends to sign a three-year, $66 million deal with the Orlando Magic, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Massive pickup for the rising Magic, acquiring the starting shooting guard of two NBA title teams. pic.twitter.com/fhu04mauIx

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2024

sigh

we’ll see if there’s another move there, but that has not really been the MO of this team. I’m pretty despondent and mad at ownership. worried they’re just going to take jokic’s prime for granted

idk what pretty similar means here

Denver offered KCP a salary pretty similar to what he ended up getting from Orlando and I’m told the Nuggets offered three years. The Nuggets definitely tried here

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) June 30, 2024

they also offered a contract in us dollars

I honestly am not sure how plugged in tony jones is — he’s kind of the stopgap beat reporter for the athletic but he’s primarily a jazz guy. I’d be shocked if the nuggets matched and KCP chose orlando, but I guess anything is possible

No state taxes

yeah honestly if that’s what it came down to, fuck him