Bye! 45 million in 2 years! He's leaving the Nuggets too

Basketball Teaching Forum

2024-06-25 00:36Posted in Beijing Sports Creators

NBA Marc Stein said that Nuggets player Pop is very sought-after, and once he enters the free market, the 76ers, Magic and other teams will chase Pop. According to NBA reporter Michael Scotto, Pope is likely to give up his $15.44 million player option next season, and he has a chance to get a new two-year, $45 million contract.

Pope wants to get a contract with an average salary of more than 20 million, so he can only sign a short-term contract, after all, he is 31 years old. Looking at Pope's contracts in recent years, they are basically short-term contracts: in the summer of 2017, he signed a one-year, $18 million contract with the Lakers; In the summer of 2018, he signed a one-year, $12 million contract extension with the Lakers; In the summer of 2019, he renewed his contract with the Lakers again for 2 years and $16 million (1+1).

In the 2020 offseason, Pope gave up the player option and signed a three-year, $40 million contract extension with the Lakers. In the 2022 offseason, Pope signed a two-year, $30 million contract extension with the Nuggets in advance, and the second year (2024-25 season) is a player option, which is 1+1 again. Pope's agent is Rich Paul, and it can be seen from these contracts that it is Fu Paul's operating style.

For Pope, signing a short-term contract means taking the initiative in his own hands, waiting until the offseason when the price is higher. From the team's point of view, the 1+1 contract given to Pope is a double-edged sword: 1. Reduce the risk, and don't worry about becoming a stinky and long garbage contract; 2. For a championship-contending team like the Nuggets, it is difficult to maintain the stability of the lineup.

Bruce Brown is the best example of this. In the 2022 offseason, Brown signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Nuggets with a second-year player option. In the 2022-23 season, Brown averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in the regular season and 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks per game in the playoffs.

Brown followed the Nuggets to win the championship and his value skyrocketed. In the 2023 offseason, the Nuggets could only offer Brown a contract extension with a starting salary of $7.8 million, and he eventually joined the Pacers for two years and $45 million, with a team option for the second year. Both Brown and Pope have already won championships, and big contracts are now a little more realistic for them.

After Brown left, the Nuggets bench lacked the strongest scoring point, and the strength decreased visibly. Pope has been a starter for the Nuggets, starting 76 regular season games this season, averaging 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, shooting 46%, 40.6%, 89.4% from three, and 60.2% from the field.

Pope had a disappointing performance in the playoffs, averaging 35 minutes per game, 3.4 more than in the regular season. He only scored 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.4 blocks, shooting 39.5%, 32.7%, 100% from three, and 53.4% from the field. Fortunately, Pope does not possess the ball, and the style of play can adapt to most teams in the league.

The Nuggets are now worried that Pope will be poached by other teams like Bruce Brown. It's not just Pope that's causing headaches for the Nuggets, as Jamal Murray is eligible to sign a new four-year, $208 million contract this summer. In the playoffs, Murray averaged 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, shooting 40.2%, 31.5% and 92.3% from three.

Final question: How much do you think Pope and Murray are worth each?

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