Getty Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round Playoffs.
The Denver Nuggets‘ top priority this offseason is to address their depth, particularly bringing in a capable Nikola Jokic backup, who can help the team withstand his absence on the court.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz named four-time NBA rebounding champion Andre Drummond the Nuggets’ dream free agency 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,” Swartz wrote.
“Drummond’s rebounding remains elite. If he had played enough minutes to qualify, his rebound rate of 29.3 percent not only would have led the NBA, it would have topped Jusuf Nurkić by a whopping 6.5 percentage points. The gap between Drummond and Nurkić was roughly the same as Nurkić and Bobby Portis, who finished 25th on the league leaderboard.”
The Nuggets were outscored by 20.1 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs when Jokic was off the court, per Basketball Reference.
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
With the NBA Salary cap about to spike with a new TV deal, Jokic has a chance to sign the NBA’s first $400 million contract in 2028, per Bleacher Report’s Bryan Toporek.
“Jokić is under guaranteed contract through 2026-27, and he has a $62.8 million player option in 2027-28,” Toporek wrote on May 23. “If he turned down that player option, he’d be eligible for the same five-year, $381 million extension that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can potentially 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 their official statement, grieving with their forward Aaron Gordon, who lost his brother Drew in a vehicular accident.
“The Denver Nuggets organization is devastated to learn about the tragic passing of Drew Gordon,” the team wrote. “Drew was far too young to leave this world, but his legacy will forever live on through his three beautiful children and all of his loved ones. Our hearts are with Aaron and the Gordon family during this extremely difficult time.”
Drew Gordon died on May 30 in Clackamas County, Oregon, at the age of 33, according to a press release by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
The cause of his death was a “two-vehicle injury crash” involving a “three-wheeled autocycle and a GMC Sierra pickup.”
Drew Gordon played for one season with the Philadelphia 76ers, appearing in nine games in the 2014-15 season.
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4-Time NBA Rebounding Champion Named as Nuggets ‘Dream’ Nikola Jokic Backup