Paul Millsap is the latest big domino to fall in NBA free agency, as the former Hawks power forward has agreed to sign with the Denver Nuggets on a three year deal worth $30 million annually, as reported by The Vertical’s Shams Charania.
Free agent Paul Millsap has agreed to a three-year, $90M with the Denver Nuggets, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2017
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Moore, the third year of the deal is a team option.
Can confirm @ShamsCharania report on Paul Millsap to Nuggets. Team option third year, sources say.
— Matt Moore Action Network NBA (@MattMooreTAN) July 3, 2017
Millsap, a four-time All-Star with the Hawks, averaged 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while leading Atlanta to the postseason in 2016-17. Over his four years in Atlanta, Millsap emerged as one of the league’s top power forwards and expanded his shooting range to become a legitimate stretch four option.
In Denver, Millsap will slot in alongside the Nuggets’ emerging star center Nikola Jokic and seems to be a wonderful fit alongside Jokic’s offensive skillset inside. The Nuggets have been pursuing top power forward candidates on the free agent and trade markets this summer, most notably Kevin Love in a possible three-team deal with the Cavs and Pacers, but with that falling through, Millsap made sense as a free agent target with the offensive skillset they were looking for to pair with Jokic.
For Atlanta, losing Millsap — which seemed to be the likely scenario for a month now — opens up $30 million in cap space for the Hawks to now be aggressive on the market for remaining free agents and, possibly, as ESPN’s Zach Lowe notes, shake up the restricted free agent market.
Hawks now have ~$30M in room, become new fear for other teams with restricted free agents seeking a market.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 3, 2017
The Nuggets become the latest team in the West to add significant talent this offseason, as the battle for the Western Conference playoffs figures to be highly competitive next season. Meanwhile, it’s another blow to the Eastern Conference, which loses yet another All-Star to the West this offseason.
You can be sure to stay up to date on all the rest of the latest news throughout the NBA offseason with our Free Agency Tracker.
