General manager Tim Connelly never stops considering angles before trade deadline.
Organization stays optimistic in rebuilding
For many reasons, the Feb. 18 NBA trade deadline is not expected to be as wild as it has been in years past.
It doesn’t mean nothing will take place. The Nuggets have time to sort things out.
“My nature is pretty aggressive,” Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly said. “We like the way we’re trending. We don’t like to be on the outside (of the playoff race) looking in right now. We don’t like to be so far under .500 (16-26), so it would be short-sighted not to be aggressive.
“We don’t want to rush the process, we don’t want to be short-sighted (in that regard). Opportunistic is probably a word I overly use, but I think it’s important — always be aggressive, always work the calls. You never know what trade could materialize to make your team better now and for the future.”
Connelly isn’t fond of his team being 10 games under .500, but the Nuggets continue to be within striking distance of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
With so many teams on the fringe of contending for the postseason, the market is expected to be flooded with more buyers than sellers.
So deals will be tougher to come by.
The Nuggets have expiring contracts in those for J.J. Hickson and Randy Foye but no pressing need to move those players. And expiring contracts aren’t as coveted as in the past because of the expected leap the salary cap will make next summer. In short, for many teams, clearing out cap space can be as simple as waiting for the cap to go so high that it creates space. It’s kind of like getting a significant balance increase on a maxed-out credit card.
Meanwhile, on the court, Nuggets coach Michael Malone is trying stay patient one game past the halfway point with his young team.
The Nuggets have seen unexpected leaps in the play of forward Will Barton, guard Gary Harris and forward Nikola Jokic. They’re getting center Jusuf Nurkic, who had a promising rookie season, back into the swing of things after his return from knee surgery.
“Work in progress,” Malone said. “I knew Year 1 was going to be a building year, a year where we’re trying to implement a culture, put an identity on the defensive end of the floor. We are far away from where we want to be, but I do like the fact that we are making progress.
“I like the fact that our guys have bought in and are working very, very hard. And sometimes I take a step back and think, ‘You know, with all of the injuries we’ve had, losing Wilson Chandler for the year, if we were whole, I think we’d be even further along than we are.’ But I’m excited, I really am. Our record is not where we want it to be, but you have to be patient and understand that this is year one of trying to build something that we can sustain for many, many years. “