By Jordan Long
The Denver Nuggets are in the offseason. One player who won’t sign an extension to stay in the Mile High City is Will Barton. He has one year left in his three-year, $11 million contract. He will test free agency next summer.
Barton is one of the Nuggets’ best bench players. When he is in the game, the Nuggets trust him with the basketball. Barton can score and set-up teammates. He averaged 13.7 points and 3.4 assists per game this past season. One part of his game that is underrated is rebounding. Opposing teams forget to box him out. When that happens, Barton grabs the rebound for second chance points or to start a fast break. He had a total of 4.3 rebounds per game this season.
Barton is only getting paid $3.5 million per year during his contract, a little low for what he brings to the table. When Barton is on the court, he makes his teammates better. The Nuggets seem to play more energized when he enters the hardwood.
The Nuggets knew this was going to happen. They are prepared to move on from him if they can’t get a deal done next offseason. The Nuggets are going to do all they can to keep him. To have him stay in a Denver, it will take a yearly salary of $9 million. Barton wants a contract of four-years worth $39 million. That might be too much for Denver to pay a reserve player. Denver could be able to sign a free agent for less.
Denver can save that money by drafting a player next summer. The problem with that is the athlete will have never played a minute of NBA basketball. The Nuggets won’t know what they have in that player and it could be a few years before he becomes a star in the league. Hopefully, the Nuggets have a plan if they lose Barton.
What do you think of Will Barton testing free agency in 2018?
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