"We knew were going to lose Bruce" - Nuggets' conscious decision to forgo $45 million deal came down to 'sustainability'
The Denver Nuggets had to make some business decisions this offseason, leading to Burce Brown Jr. and Jeff Green's departures in free agency. The former Brooklyn Nets duo were key to their title success as crucial veteran options off the bench.
However, the Nuggets had financial limitations this offseason that stopped them from re-signing Brown and Green.
The former left to join the Indiana Pacers on a lucrative two-year $45 million contract. Meanwhile, the latter returned for a second stint with the Houston Rockets, signing a two-year $16 million deal (contract value sourced from Spotrac).
However, Nuggets' general manager Calvin Booth, who brought Brown to Denver in his first season as an executive, wasn't surprised to see him leave. That wasn't the case for Green, however.
"We knew were going to lose Bruce, but Jeff was a little bit of a surprise," Booth told Sportskeeda's Mark Medina. "But having playoff minutes leave the building hurts. So it’s about trying to have some continuity and keep those playoff minutes in the building so it can be rolled over into the next season."
Bruce Brown Jr.'s value had skyrocketed after his contributions proved pivotal in the Nuggets' title run. He was the perfect plug-in piece the reigning champions needed to get over the hump. Many expected him to sign a midlevel exception, but the Pacers outbid the other suitors by nearly $20 million.
Denver was never going to match that. They were eligible to sign him on a deal that started at $7.8 million annually because they didn't have his bird rights.
Houston Rockets flexing their enormous cap space stunned Denver Nuggets and other teams
The Houston Rockets entered the offseason cap space of $61 million, the most among all 30 NBA teams. That allowed them to sign coveted free agents like Fred VanVleet (three years, $128 million), Dillon Brooks (four years, $86 million), and Jeff Green (two years, $19 million).
VanVleet and Brooks' contracts seemed overpaid, but the interest in the two players made their values seem to be just about the right price later. However, the same cannot be said about Green.
He was an invaluable veteran leader on the Nuggets but wasn't the same force on the court. He averaged a career-worst 19.5 minutes, 7.8 points and 2.6 rebounds, shooting on 49/29/74 splits.
Green, 36, is also one of the oldest players in the NBA. However, the Rockets had the room to offer him a lucrative contract that would be far better than any team could offer Green, and they had no hesitation in doing that.
The Denver Nuggets were in an entirely different situation as they were going to be a luxury tax team. Their priority was to retain the younger pieces of their core, which would provide valuable minutes on the court, where they are allocating their resources.