The Denver Nuggets’ biggest aim this offseason is to improve their depth, particularly by adding a quality Nikola Jokic backup who can help the team weather his absence from the floor.
According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, Andre Drummond, a four-time NBA rebounding champion, is the Nuggets’ ideal free agent target.
“Andre Drummond and Jokić are completely different players, but Drummond might be the best that Denver can afford with only veteran-minimum contracts to offer,” noted Swartz.
“Drummond’s rebounding remains exceptional. If he had played enough minutes to qualify, his rebound rate of 29.3 percent would have led the NBA and outperformed Jusuf Nurkić by 6.5 percentage points. The distance between Drummond and Nurkić was comparable to that between Nurkić and Bobby Portis, who placed 25th in the league leaderboard.
According to Basketball Reference, the Nuggets were outscored by 20.1 points per 100 possessions during the playoffs when Jokic was not on the court.
Drummond is a much better player than Deandre Jordan, who backed up Jokic this season. But the Nuggets are at a disadvantage since they can only pay Drummond with the veteran’s minimum of $3.3 million.
Bleacher Report’s salary cap expert Eric Pincus projected Drummond to get “a slight raise in the $5-8 million range if a team needs what he has to offer.” Pincus listed the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns as Nuggets’ competitors for Drummond’s services.
Among the three, the Thunder have the cap space to beat the Nuggets and the Suns in case a bidding war for Drummond’s services ensues.
Drummond could also return to the Bulls since they hold his early Bird rights, which could pay up to about $13 million.
Nikola Jokic Could Sign Richest NBA Deal
According to Bryan Toporek of Bleacher Report, Jokic has a chance to sign the NBA’s first $400 million contract in 2028, as the salary ceiling is set to rise due to a new television deal.
“Jokić is under guaranteed contract through 2026-27, and he has a $62.8 million player option in 2027-28,” Toporek stated on May 23. “If he declines that player option, he will be eligible for the same five-year, $381 million extension that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may sign in 2026-27.
In the unlikely event that Jokić picks up his 2027-28 player option, he could sign the NBA’s first $400 million contract. 2028-29: $72,253,335 2029-30: $78,033,602 2030-31: $83,813,869 2031-32: $89,594,135 2032-33: $95,374,402 Total: $419,069,343.”
Nuggets Grieve Loss of Aaron Gordon’s Brother
The Nuggets issued an official statement, expressing their condolences to forward Aaron Gordon, who lost his brother Drew in a car accident.
“The Denver Nuggets organization is devastated to learn about the tragic passing of Drew Gordon,” the team declared in a statement. “Drew was far too young to die, but his legacy will live on through his three beautiful children and all of his loved ones.” Our hearts go out to Aaron and the Gordon family during this terribly difficult time.”
