NBA Free Agency 2020: 5 teams with the most to lose

4. Denver Nuggets

At the moment, it’s unclear who will start alongside All-Star center Nikola Jokic in the Denver Nuggets’ frontcourt next season.

Jerami Grant has a $9.3 million player option for 2020-21, but he recently told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports that he’s leaning toward declining it to become an unrestricted free agent. If he does, he’ll be joining fellow Nuggets big man Paul Millsap, who’s in the final season of his three-year, $90 million contract.

Millsap turned 35 in February, which suggests the days of him earning $30 million annually have likely come and gone. However, he’s still a steady veteran presence who has started 41 of his 44 games this season, so Denver would presumably like to bring him back at a reasonable price.

Grant just turned 26 in March, so he’s far more aligned age-wise with Jokic and point guard Jamal Murray, and the Nuggets sent their top-10-protected 2020 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire him last July. According to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic, Denver “continued to signal throughout the season — behind the scenes and otherwise — that the effort to make Grant a part of the long-term future was underway.”

Regardless of what the Nuggets decide to do with Grant and Millsap, they’ll also have to weigh whether to re-sign backup center Mason Plumlee. Although the 30-year-old has filled in admirably behind Jokic, the free-agent market is deepest at center this offseason, and Denver may need to pursue a less expensive option if it keeps both Grant and Millsap.

The Nuggets’ championship upside will largely come down to Jokic, Murray and Michael Porter Jr. in the coming years. However, they’ll either need to re-sign Grant, Millsap and Plumlee or find adequate replacements at bargain-bin prices.