The Denver Nuggets weren’t expected to be big players in free agency, as their main focus this offseason was locking up Nikola Jokic on a supermax extension, getting Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back on the court, and upgrading their roster via trades, which they felt they did by sending Monte Morris and Will Barton to Washington for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith.
Still, there was the issue of finding a backup center for Jokic, which has been something of a rotating cast of characters in recent years. Last year it was DeMarcus Cousins who finished the year in that role for Denver, but it appears the Nuggets will move on from Boogie for another aging veteran big man. Per Shams Charania, the Nuggets have agreed to a one-year minimum deal with DeAndre Jordan to take over that backup center position.
Free agent center DeAndre Jordan has agreed to a deal with the Denver Nuggets, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
Jordan averaged 4.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on 64.3 percent shooting (55 percent from the line) in 48 games with the Lakers and Sixers last season, and has not been particularly effective in recent years.
Since 2017-18, teams with DeAndre Jordan on the floor are -571 in 7,572 minutes. He has not had a combined total stretch where his team won his minutes with any team since 2017.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) July 1, 2022
Denver will hope that changes with them, but given how Jordan has bounced around in recent years, it’s not a guarantee that the Nuggets will finish the season with Jordan backing up Jokic.
