While the prevailing theory of the KCP trade was that Denver did it to get under the luxury tax line, that isn’t the case. The Nuggets could sign 4 minimum contracts and still be in the tax. Calvin Booth has also said he has the green light to use the mid-level exception. It appears the Kroenkes are prepared to pay the tax, and fans should expect that of them. It’s the price of a contender. The KCP trade was made for basketball reasons, not cap reasons. Congratulations to the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets. On Monday evening, the Nuggets bested the Miami Heat in Game 5 by a score of 94-89, capping an impressive season with the franchise's first ever championship win. Cap breakdowns for players currently on a team's practice squad. All count against the team's salary cap. Player (17) After losing in the Western Conference Finals, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James called the Denver Nuggets "the best" team he's ever played with the Lakers. Jokic, Murray and company swept Los Angeles, and then beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals four games to one. Cap breakdowns for players who have been released or served 10-day contracts. All count against the team's Total Cap Allocations. Player (9)

They jumped on us the first half, they were better, more aggressive, scoring easily and didn't miss. A dramatic fourth-quarter finale saw Jokic put Denver two points ahead with a driving layup through heavy traffic with 51.7 seconds remaining. Cap breakdowns for players who have been traded or released. All count against the team's salary cap. Player (60) Cap breakdowns for players currently on injured reserve. denotes a player designated to return. All count against the team's salary cap. Player (15) The sign of a great team is if you make any mistake, they're going to make you pay for it," Ham said. "And they did just that.

3. Rocky Mountain ring chasers?

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, who was appointed last year after they failed to reach the play-offs, said his team had paid the price for not making enough shots, praising Denver's ruthlessness down the stretch. Exceptions are essentially "grants" offering teams an additional way to sign players. Exceptions can be split up for multiple player signings, however only one of these exceptions may be used in a season and they cannot be combined. The Nuggets are also allowed to go over the salary cap to keep their point guard since his contract uses the Bird exception. I want to stay," Brown told the Denver Post's Mike Singer. "... It's a perfect fit. And money is not everything." So how can the Nuggets keep Brown? There are two paths here, and neither is especially easy. There's a degree of comfort that comes with being the champion. The rest of the league has to scramble to catch up to the Denver Nuggets. They're going to spend the next few days and weeks frantically scraping for every last shred of talent they can find in a probably feeble attempt to reach the level where the Nuggets are already safely perched. They are going to enter next season as the championship favorite. It's only a matter of how close the field gets.

Coming on the heels of a regular season in which the title chase looked wide open, this postseason by the Nuggets has been quite a statement. In a Western Conference where the other theoretical contenders can’t quite seem to get their act together, the Nuggets have the best player, the best-fit pieces around their star, a cheat-code offense, the fewest age concerns and the cleanest cap situation.

It’s also instructive to look at that mark by series and see how helpless each opponent has been against Denver’s scoring might: 119.4 against Minnesota, 122.1 against Phoenix, 124.3 against the Lakers and 120.2 against Miami so far in the NBA Finals. Not only is Denver No. 1 in playoffs offense, but its four individual series would each rank No. 1 on their own. Before we get into the good stuff, it’s important to know the tools that the front office can utilize. The Nuggets do not have cap space in the typical sense. There are many exceptions and tools built into the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA for short), and those will be what Denver is able to use. They will not be going for the likes of Zach Lavine or Bradley Beal. The Nuggets simply don’t have the means to sign them without serious roster changes. Denotes the Nuggets current standing in terms of the luxury tax threshold. Teams that spend over the threshold pay fines (estimated below). Type Trade Exception Details becomes available when a team relinquishes more salary than it acquires during a trade. The "credit" balance remains as an exception that can be used within the next year to acquire salary via trade without further relinquishing additional salary. Type

The Nuggets are currently over the league salary cap. This means Cap Holds & Exceptions are NOT included in their Total Cap Allocations, and renouncing these figures will not afford them any cap space. The team may only sign outside players using any available exceptions or at league minimum salaries. Cap Type We don't give up," Jokic said. "I've been saying this for five years - when we were bad or when we were good - we don't give up. And that's what happened. But Jokic led a resurgent Nuggets offense in the third quarter, scoring 13 points as the Western Conference top seeds outscored the Lakers 36-16 to turn the contest on its head. Due to the contract being a designated rookie extension, Murray was eligible to sign a bigger contract than most players with his level of experience. This is calculated by determining all guaranteed salaries + any dead cap from non-guaranteed salaries. All other options, cap holds, exceptions are assumed as declined, waived or renounced.

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But it puts all of the risk on Brown's shoulders. He can earn generational wealth right now by leaving the Nuggets. If he re-signs in Denver and gets hurt, or struggles, or simply gets punished by the financial realities of the NBA, he has no recourse. Denver can't legally promise to give him that hefty deal in a year, but the Nuggets will surely imply that they'd like to. How will they feel in a year? There's no way of knowing. LeBron James had looked to be single-handedly keeping the Lakers' season alive after scoring 31 points in a superb first-half display that left the 17-time NBA champions 73-58 ahead. There's plenty more than just Nuggets apparel at Fanatics. Here are some of the best Denver Nuggets championship gear and collectibles you can buy. But there is one key part whose future is still up in the air, and as comfortable as the Nuggets are right now, they are still going to try to add a bit to their roster if possible. So what are the stories to watch this Nuggets offseason? Here are the three biggest questions they'll have to answer in the coming weeks. 1. What can you do for Brown? Although James finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers, their supporting cast once again failed to step up when it mattered, with a series of missed baskets in the fourth quarter allowing the Nuggets, one of 11 teams in the league who have never won the NBA championship, to hold on to clinch victory.