Denver Nuggets New Era Has Begun: Morning Sprint Instant Reaction

Denver Nuggets New Era Has Begun: Morning Sprint Instant Reaction

Coach Shams tried to tell us yesterday, “Big time trade. I didn’t think it could happen.” You did. And the Nuggets are better for it.
They’re way better for it. It’s interesting Vic Vic Lombardi’s biggest surprise or his reaction to uh this this bombshell news of of being able to shed Daario Shar’s $5 million cap hit for a player that just didn’t play. And and you go out and get Yonas Valenunis, a guy that’s been a model of consistency. He’s had a good postseason history as well in Toronto. had a nice stretch there as a Raptor in the postseason as a guy that’s been a starting center in the NBA, but over the course of the last four, five, six years of his of his career, he’s played himself into being the perfect guy to come off the bench for for Nicole Joic. And Vic was trying to figure out what’s the motivation for Sacramento to take on Dario Charich. What is he wanted to get to the bottom of it? I got the same question about the Brooklyn Nets. What was their motivation to take on Michael Porter Jr. And I I do want to take this I think it’s very easy to find what the what the thought process is from Brooklyn. I think Sacramento I’m I’m lost on that. But Brooklyn’s very easy. Talk to me.
The unprotected 2032 first round pick.
God, that’s a long time from now.
It’s that’s the reason why it’s so enticing. What happens
seven years from now, man.
Right. What’s How old is Nicole? Head head coaches in general managers will be hired and fired by 2030 potentially in Brooklyn. Like that’s in that’s the stuff to me. It’s like you’re making some of these decisions as a general manager. Like am I even going to be the head co or the general manager or head coach anymore?
Yeah. But guess what? Ownership probably has their finger on the pulse there. What happens in seven years? How old is Nicole Joic in seven years?
Is Nicole Joic even living Is he 37 in seven years? Is he even living in the United States at that point? The answer is likely no. And if Nicole Joic is not living in Denver in 2032, the Nuggets might suck real bad. That’s the reason why that’s an enticing trade for them. It’s unprotected. Like there’s a chance that thing could be like a top five pick. Sacramento, on the other hand, I’m I don’t know why they do that. What’s over my left shoulder? Sarge for Valenunis straight up is nuts. With Michael Porter Jr. now gone, now you know departed as Denver Nugget. He’s a player that you are going to lose some high-end streaky three-point shooting that you do not currently have on your roster. Would you agree with that?
Wait, from Porter to Johnson?
Yeah, just as a pure three-point shooter, Cam Johnson’s a much more versatile. Uh he he’s a 3 and D player. He can he’s a much better defender. He doesn’t have drop foot. He doesn’t have major back issues, but he is not necessarily the the fill up the rim three-point volume shooter that you had in Michael Porter Jr. It is it is a slight slight step back in shooting. It’s really not that drastic. Now, what you get out of Cam is hopefully more consistent play. However, Cam Johnson hasn’t been able to stay healthy as of late. And Michael Porter Jr., yes, with the drop foot and the back injuries, somehow plays 81 of 82 over the last couple of years. Um, that’s something that you do have to factor into that. Maybe Brooklyn looks at Cam Johnson in the same way that a lot of Nuggets fans and maybe the entire NBA looked at Michael Porter Jr. early on in his career as well. Can this guy stay on the court? That’s another reason. Um, you do lose the defensive rebounding ability of Michael Porter Jr., which got better and better year-over-year. Cam Johnson’s not going to give you as much of that, but he will be a better on ball defender without a doubt.
Yeah, Michael Porter Jr. was a good nugget. And
as much as everybody wants to be excited to to say goodbye to Michael Porter Jr., I I I have a lot of respect for for what Michael Porter Jr. was able to do. And I know he got a max contract. He was paid handsomely to do uh what you’re supposed to do as an NBA player. What I what I appreciate about Michael Porter Jr. is even with the drop foot, even with the issues uh the back of things, the guy was did everything in his power to be available to play to compete for this basketball team to play through whatever ailed him and to be a guy that adapted his game even if he wasn’t filling up the basketball the the hoop with three-point shooting and became a really good uh defensive rebounder. And so I want to take this quick second just to just to honor the legacy of Michael Porter Jr. as a nugget. You are a really really really good nugget. Uh but I am so excited about what’s to come with Cam Johnson. I am so excited, man.
Yeah, it it’s a still it’s a good trade. It felt like are they just shedding salary to get cheaper right when it happened. And then you kind of realized after all of the you have to have a PhD to understand what the NBA CBA is all about. when you realized what they opened up additionally, right? It wasn’t just about saving $40 million by moving MPJ out the door. It was opening up the entire mid-level exception up to $14 million. It was opening up a $16.8 million trade exception so that you could find a way to do these types of things with Valenunis. And yeah, the question, well, why didn’t they make this trade last year during the during the deadline? you didn’t have that 2032 first round pick available to you until the new league year started, right? Until the moratorum period started. It it ends up being a great trade for them. Uh some news around the NHL and we will get into to hockey in a moment, but uh the big stuff is happening with the Nuggets right now. The ABS resign winger/center Parker Kelly to a 4-year deal at $1.7 million on average annual value basis. Um, so you continue to get some more depth in that bottom six. Parker Kelly played really well with Logan O’Connor and Jack Drury in the playoffs. So you have those guys signed for at least next season. Jack Drury is going to have I think he has one more year left on his contract. Uh, that’s the only thing that’s happened with the ABS thus far. But the the big news again, Dario Sar one for one trade to the Sacramento Kings for Yonas Valenunis. You finally have a guy that feels like when you take Nicole Joic off the floor, the world isn’t going to end. That second unit now is so much improved. Think about last season, you didn’t even have Don Holmes available. He’s going to be available uh apparently when the summer league starts. He’s going to be available to compete. It’s another athletic big that gives you length, athleticism, D, uh, and the opportunity to take the ball to the cup. You had Jonas Valentunis, who’s an absolute unit. He’s a house. The guy’s massive.
He’s huge. Six1.
You know what? And he’s We were talking about all time beards last week because that was one of our key words last week on the on the core four score, which beard, by the way. Yeah. I mean, Yonis Valenunis, that is a great great low beard. Solid low beard. And a good Lithuanian too, man. We’re getting more Adriatic and Baltic by the minute around these parts.
We move we moved Baltic out the door to bring more Baltic in the door.
So I don’t know. This trade this trade doesn’t make you more Baltic.
Yeah, but the same amount of Baltic.
Charich was more like Dashboard Confessionals version of Baltic. And now Jonas Valenunis is Metallica Baltic. And I love Metallica Baltic.
Are you putting Dashboard and Metallica in the same like general music sphere? No, I’m saying that Dario Charich was very emo, man. He was a He was a eye black and lip lliner guy. He was the guy from South Park that was just kind of always moping around like, “Oh, here’s the emo kid coming in.” And whereas you got Valenunis coming in as Pantara or Danzig. He’s ready to go, man. He’s ready to get crazy in the circle pit. So excited about that. Um, yeah, this second unit, man, Bruce Brown now coming off the bench. uh guy that we know he’s a he is the the he’s runner up for Mr. Nugget and he almost was Mr. Nugget the year that the Nuggets win the championship, but him and Aaron Gordon back on the team together is a beautiful thing. Uh Dale to have a guy that that can play great defense. Uh Bruce Brown, what he was able to do, mind you, KCP was such an important part of this of this team because of what he could do on the defensive side and shutting down a a big-time guard, a big- time scorer. But you you could give KCP minutes of rest in order to defend because Bruce Brown was going to go do the exact same thing and he was going to strap whatever big-time offensive threat was coming uh from the other team maybe when you had to you had to give your your starters a rest. Um and I and I love the fact that potentially you got Julian Strather, Pton Watson, uh guys that I want to see more minutes of. You’re not necessarily stunning their growth with any of these moves to to at least the way I see it at this point. Uh Jaylen Picket still a part of this thing. Uh you got a deep bench, man. And that’s what if we learned anything from uh the NBA finals this year looking at both Indianapolis and Oklahoma City is those two teams while they did have some superstars and Tyrese Albertton and uh Shay Gildas Alexander respectively. What made them so unique, it was the depth that they could go 9 10 11 deep and that’s where the Nuggets are headed right now.
Your starting five looks this way. Jamal Murray, Christian Brown, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, Nicole Joic, your reserves, Jaylen Picket, Bruce Brown, Julian Strawther as your guards. Likely one more guard coming in uh via free agency. Who knows what they’re going to do. They’re currently at $191 million in projected salary. That is $4.8 million shy of the first uh apron. They are north of the tax threshold. The team doesn’t care about that. When you get into those aprons, certainly the second apron that they wanted to get out of their current free agents, Vlatonard, DeAndre Jordan, Russell Westbrook, Trey Alexander, PJ Hall, all of those guys are either already gone or expected to be gone off of this roster. Other reserves on the team for your forwards and center depth, Payton Watson, Hunter Tyson, Don Holmes II, Zeke Naji, and the newest member of the Denver Nuggets, Yonas Valenunis. The trade is one for one. Dario Sarich for Valenunis uh to and from the Sacramento Kings. They still have the ability to shore up their future. Christian Brown is available for an extension as is Cam Johnson. Uh Joker, as we learned last year, or rather last week, coach, uh likely not going to sign his extension. Uh it feels like the organization isn’t even going to put it on the table in front of Joker because it makes more sense both for Nola and for the organization to wait the extra year. He gets to make more money. they get the fifth year option uh as well. They still have a $5.7 million exception um and a veteran minimum contract available uh to add to this roster. The nuggets are not done

Jonas Valančiūnas, Cam Johnson, and Bruce Brown have helped to reshape the outlook on the Nuggets Championship Window! Coach and Raj react to all the breaking news and what’s to come with the Denver Nuggets in the very near future!

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