Denver Nuggets

Michael Porter Jr. is apparently untouchable in trade talks after showcasing his potential during the 2020 NBA playoffs for the Denver Nuggets, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. 

"In talking to teams around the league, the Nuggets have made it clear: Michael Porter Jr. is not available," Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective podcast (h/t RealGM). "Do not ask."

Porter sat out his entire first season with a back injury but played well in 2019-20, averaging 9.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He took his game to the next level during the restarted season in Orlando, Florida, averaging 22.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in seven seeding games.

He contributed 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in the Nuggets' 19-game postseason during the team's run to the Western Conference Finals.

While the Nuggets relied heavily on Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic during their playoff run, Porter emerged as a reliable tertiary option while making some big shots along the way:

MICHAEL PORTER JR. IS CLUTCH 😳 https://t.co/bGsoIEOFeH

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 12, 2020

He was a valuable part of the team overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Denver now has an exciting core with Murray, Jokic and Porter all under team control through at least 2022.

Porter, the No. 14 pick of the 2018 draft after an injury-shortened college career at Missouri, represents excellent value with just a $3.55 million salary in 2020-21 and a $5.26 million team option the year after, per Spotrac. If the 6'10", 218-pound forward lives up to expectations, he could be one of the biggest steals in the NBA.

The breakout showing in the bubble could have given the Nuggets a chance to sell high on a relatively inexperienced player and bring in a more proven talent in return to help contend for a title. However, they clearly believe in his talent and expect bigger things ahead for the 22-year-old.

Jerami Grant impressed a number of times for the Denver Nuggets as they reached the Western Conference Finals, and both sides are reportedly interested in making sure he will continue to have the opportunity to do so for the same team in 2020-21 and beyond.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Grant plans on declining his $9.3 million player option for next season but noted both he and the Nuggets "have significant mutual interest in a new deal."

Charania also reported the Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks may also pursue Grant.

There is plenty to like about Grant as a secondary option this offseason.

He is just 26 years old and fits in well alongside other players who attract more defensive attention, such as Nikola Jokic or Jamal Murray. The 2019-20 campaign was his first with the Nuggets, and he averaged 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range.

It was an impressive follow-up effort to his 2018-19 season, when he scored a career-high 13.6 points per game behind 39.2 percent shooting from three-point range as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Grant, who also previously played on the Philadelphia 76ers, is a stretch forward who can score inside the lane if needed but also take advantage of spacing on the perimeter and shoot from three.

He is also a solid defender who can guard bigger guards or forwards and was even tasked with defending the likes of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George during Denver's playoff run.

Opponents shot 3.6 percent worse from the field and 6.4 percent worse from three-point range than their normal averages when Grant defended them in 2019-20, per NBA.com.

It is no surprise, then, that Denver would like to keep him around as it looks to build on its Western Conference Finals appearance and build a core alongside Jokic and Murray.

  

Jerami Grant is looking to cash out after helping the Denver Nuggets reach the Western Conference Finals.

The Denver Post's Mike Singer reported Grant plans to opt out of his contract, though the 26-year-old would like to return to the Nuggets. According to Singer, $14 million to $16 million annually is one estimate as to what he could earn on the open market.

Grant is due to earn $9.3 million in 2020-21 if he does not opt out.

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised uncertainty about the state of the NBA's finances, particularly with regard to the salary cap. In addition, the list of teams likely to have a meaningful amount of cap space was already going to be low as everybody prepares for the 2021 free-agent bonanza.

That provides one incentive for veterans with player options to opt in and let things return closer to normal before hitting free agency.

Grant, however, should be able to command more than his current contract will pay him.

He averaged 12.0 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range in 71 games this season. His scoring average (11.6) and efficiency (40.6 percent overall and 32.6 percent from beyond the arc) dipped a bit in the playoffs, which was to be expected since the postseason tends to be slower and more defensive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IJWNoKvbSQ

Grant more than held his own on the perimeter as well. Opposing shooters only hit 29.8 percent of their threes when matched up against him, per NBA.com.

Three-and-D forwards who live up to the billing aren't that easy to find. Grant's skill set will almost certainly put him on the radar of every team with playoff aspirations.

The Nuggets will see Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee become unrestricted free agents, and Torrey Craig is a restricted free agent. Add Grant to the mix, and keeping the entire roster will be tricky for president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.

Re-signing Grant should be a priority, even if it jeopardizes Denver's chances of retaining one or more of Millsap, Plumlee and Craig. 

Jerami Grant was, without a doubt, the breakout star in the Western Conference Finals. 

The Denver Nuggets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in that series Saturday night after a playoff run filled with high drama. That wasn't the ideal outcome for the up-and-coming team, but they played tough and proved that they can develop into top contenders. Furthermore, Jerami Grant's star-making performance in the last two games of the series will be a talking point over the offseason.

Although Grant wants to return to the Nuggets, his future in Denver will be up in the air. A report from the Denver Post's Mike Singer suggests that he plans to exercise his player option and opt-out of his contract.

The Nuggets forward stands to make $9.3 million if he finishes out his deal, but a league source told Singer, "Grant could command anywhere from $14 million to $16 million annually over several years."

After his performances against both the Clippers and the Lakers, Grant should be a part of Denver's plans, but he could become a valuable free agent if he opts out of his contract.

In other news, it appears that Mike D'Antoni is a shoo-in to be the next Philadelphia 76ers head coach.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey: "Sources have said that D'Antoni met with ownership during the first round of interviews. The Sixers deny that ownership has had any involvement. However, sources have also said that Brand has met with D'Antoni and former candidate Billy Donovan, who withdrew from consideration Monday to accept the Bulls job."

Pompey's report seems like such a sure thing that Clippers assistant coach Tyronn Lue is no longer a top candidate for the position. After Brett Brown's exit in August, Lue's name was attached to the job because of mutual interest in Philadelphia. However, D'Antoni seems to be the organization's ideal choice ahead of Lue's interview Tuesday.

With the former Houston Rockets coach on board, sources told Pompey: "Embiid is happy that he'll face the basket instead of posting up in D'Antoni's proposed five-out system. D'Antoni's plan is to move Tobias Harris back to power forward. The Sixers will also make trades if he's hired."

The Denver Nuggets were eliminated from the playoffs Saturday night, but head coach Michael Malone had a number of positive takeaways after the Game 5 117-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

"So proud," Malone said of his team. "What more can you ask from a group? What more commitment, sacrifice, just everything in the last 82 days that our team has gone through. The history that we've made. The adversity that we've faced and never ran from, embraced it, owned it at times.

"From a pride perspective, couldn't be more proud."

The Nuggets had an incredible run during the 2020 postseason, twice overcoming a 3-1 deficit to advance in the series. They won three straight games to finish off the Utah Jazz in Round 1 and then shockingly did the same against the heavily favored Los Angeles Clippers in Round 2.

It led to the franchise's first appearance in the conference finals since 2009.

Denver once again faced a 3-1 deficit against Los Angeles, but this time the Lakers were able to finish off the series thanks to an impressive effort by LeBron James. The 16-time All-Star took over with 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, leading both teams in each category.

Malone couldn't help but be impressed by someone he called "one of the greatest to ever do it."

"When you just step back and marvel at what LeBron is doing at this stage of his career," he said. "How he continues to find ways to improve and get better and take whatever team he's on to new heights. That defines his greatness."

LeBron is heading to the NBA Finals for the 10th time, competing for three different teams in the process.

The Nuggets are left looking ahead to next season, but Malone believes the squad will be back and ready to contend for a title behind 23-year-old Jamal Murray and 25-year-old Nikola Jokic.

"I'm encouraged by the growth, maturity and development of our players, and our young guys are only going to get better," he added.

You're going to see the same hack joke everywhere over the next couple of days: The Denver Nuggets have the Los Angeles Lakers right where they want them.

It's just so easy—as easy as it is off the mark. The truth is, we're now on the last few pages of one of the playoffs' best stories with Denver down 3-1 for the third consecutive series following Thursday's 114-108 loss to the Lakers.

The Nuggets could have had this one, though. Dwight Howard's surprise start and improbable first-half impact keyed a Lakers attack built on offensive boards and putbacks. Howard had four of those himself in the first quarter and grabbed six of his team's misses on the night. In all, the Lakers crushed Denver 25-6 in second-chance points.

The Lakers win Game 4 against the Nuggets 114-108 to go up 3-1 in the WCF.

The Lakers' 25 second-chance points were the 3rd-most by any team in a game this postseason.

LA averaged just 10.7 second-chance PPG over Games 1-3 in the West Finals. pic.twitter.com/jjst606LMx

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 25, 2020

The Nuggets will take little solace in just how anomalous the Lakers' night on the offensive glass was; between now and a do-or-die Game 5, all they'll think about is that a bludgeoning on the boards of that magnitude came in a game they lost by just six points. That's if they can put Anthony Davis' equally improbable game-winner in Game 2 out of their minds yet.

Without taking anything away from L.A., which has earned its 3-1 advantage, the Nuggets are awfully close to being up 3-1 themselves.

But they're not.

And though this team has demonstrated its resilience to a historic degree by climbing out of 3-1 holes in each of the last two series, the third time won't be the charm—not with Davis shoveling dirt on them like he has over the last two games.

AD followed up his 31-point, buzzer-beating heroism in Game 2 with another 34 points Thursday. He hit his first seven shots from the field, and whatever adjustments the Nuggets make ahead of Game 5, nothing figures to slow down Davis when he's closing out games like this.

Anthony Davis' 4th quarter true shooting percentage in the conference finals is 95.2%

— Fastbreak Breakfast (@fastbreakbreak) September 25, 2020

That's actually a point worth dwelling on.

See, if Denver doesn't shock the basketball world for a third straight time, it won't be because "the magic ran out." There was no magic in the Nuggets' previous comebacks. They're not charmed or lucky or anything of the sort. They had agency in turning the tables on the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers.

They were the better team. It just took them four games (and three losses) to prove it.

The challenge is different this time, and it's entirely because of who's in possession of that 3-1 advantage.

LeBron has never lost a playoff series when leading 3-1.

The Nuggets have won their last 2 series down 3-1.

🤔 pic.twitter.com/L8fewCFYl0

— StatMuse (@statmuse) September 25, 2020

That's bleak for Denver. But even if the point we're making here is that not all 3-1 deficits are alike, the Nuggets will call on some of the same battle-forged traits that propelled them to their last two series triumphs.

For starters, the Nuggets aren't fazed by the Lakers. They just took down the most recent Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard, picking his team apart as theirs held together, growing immensely in the process. Even Denver's least experienced players are firing off high-leverage shots against L.A. with no concerns about the sky-high stakes.

https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1309324315859415041

Add to that the fact that Denver has made a habit of eventually figuring out what works and what doesn't better than its competitors. Case in point: The zone that flummoxed the Nuggets and forced several late turnovers, allowing the Lakers to nearly make up all of a 20-point deficit in Game 3, didn't look so great in Game 4.

Zonebusters https://t.co/bz9pW8Vmm8

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) September 25, 2020

The more the Nuggets see an opponent, the more they zero in on weak spots.

There are glimmers of hope—for Game 5, if not the series as a whole.

And let's not forget the blinding light that is Jamal Murray, whose 32 points and positively preposterous shotmaking in Game 4 would have been surprising if he hadn't spent the entire playoffs electrifying his team in exactly the same manner.

Just as the Nuggets seem to lack an answer for Davis, the Lakers can't be expected to draw up plans to stop this:

😱😱😱 @BeMore27 https://t.co/ru6LJrPObH

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) September 25, 2020

Or this:

A great drive from Murray, the most important part is that he seeks out the contact with Howard, just enough to slow him up so he can get the layup off. pic.twitter.com/GbLE17G5N6

— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) September 25, 2020

Or this:

JAMAL MURRAY FLOATS IT IN WITH THE LEFT! 😳@Lakers 100@nuggets 96

5:34 to play on TNT pic.twitter.com/Tn5lMVyARh

— NBA (@NBA) September 25, 2020

In the end, though, we have to return to the bare fact that Denver is a game away from elimination. The Lakers, more experienced and seeming far less likely than the Jazz or Clippers to wilt under the Nuggets' desperate onslaught, get three cracks at ending this thing.

If and when they do, let's be sure to remember that the Nuggets didn't regress to the mean or come back to earth or run out of whatever special sauce it was that got them this far. They didn't wind up in the Western Conference Finals on a fluke. They earned their way here on the strength of tactical adjustments, heart and the simultaneous brilliance of Murray and Nikola Jokic.

Denver's run may be nearly over, but the magic was always real.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was not pleased with the free-throw disparity in his team's 114-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Thursday's Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

Los Angeles shot 35 free throws compared to Denver's 23, and LeBron James and Anthony Davis each shot 14.

"I'm going to have to go through the proper channels like they did to get some more free throws," Malone said, per Mark Medina of USA Today.

Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times noted the Lakers presented a formal case for more whistles for James to the league's office after he shot just two free throws in a Game 3 loss.

"We're dealing with the fouls through the proper channels with the league," Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said. "I think he's gone to the basket very aggressively, and I'll just leave it at that."

That Malone was upset is not exactly surprising. His team's comeback efforts were dealt a major blow when Nikola Jokic was whistled for his fourth and fifth fouls early in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers were rewarded with a number of free throws in critical times.

Still, LeBron is a physical player who often overpowers defenders on his way to the rim.

There are few players in the entire league who can realistically expect to stop him without fouling throughout the course of the game, and Denver eliminated one of them when it defeated Kawhi Leonard's L.A. Clippers in the second round.

Players such as Jerami Grant and Paul Millsap can only do so much against the all-time great, and officials were likely paying closer attention to LeBron's drives given that it was such a notable subject following Game 3.

If there is a silver lining for the Nuggets, it is the fact they have already overcome two 3-1 deficits in these playoffs and were right there with the Lakers on Thursday despite the free-throw difference and Jokic being on the bench for extended stretches of the fourth quarter.

If they can bounce back in Saturday's Game 5, the storyline may very well switch from James' free throws to Denver starting another 3-1 comeback.

Jamal Murray continues to impress in these playoffs.

First it was dueling Donovan Mitchell head-to-head in the opening round. Then it was leading the Denver Nuggets to a 3-1 comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Now he's doing his best Michael Jordan impersonation.

Murray attacked the lane with his right hand in Thursday's Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, went up for a layup, double-clutched as LeBron James went to challenge and then somehow finished the layup as he was falling to the ground, drawing MJ comparisons:

JAMAL MURRAY WENT MJ ON THIS LAYUP 🤯 https://t.co/V3pkJv3VOB

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 25, 2020

Also Jamal that looked a little MJesqe

— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) September 25, 2020

It was reminiscent of Jordan's famous double-clutch layup when he switched hands in Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals against the Lakers during a "spectacular move."

Jordan led his Chicago Bulls to victory over Los Angeles in that series. Murray would surely trade his highlights for the opportunity to do the same in the Western Conference Finals.

The Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 114-106 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals and now trail L.A. two games to one in the best-of-seven series.

After the game, Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray told reporters that his team feels like it should be up 2-1 instead of down 2-1 in reference to Denver's buzzer-beating Game 2 defeat.

"We feel like we should be up 2-1 right now to be honest, but now we are onto Game 4," Murray said.

Denver trailed by 16 in the third quarter and by eight with three minutes left in Game 2 before storming back to take a 101-100 lead off a Nikola Jokic tip-in with 31 seconds left.

After Anthony Davis responded with a 13-foot floater, Jokic put Denver back on top with a 10-footer with 20 seconds remaining.

The third time was the charm for the Lakers on the other end.

Alex Caruso missed a three-pointer with seven seconds left, but Danny Green got the rebound. Murray then blocked Green's game-winning attempt, but the ball went out of bounds to the Lakers.

L.A. then executed an inbound play to perfection, leading to a Davis three-pointer for the win.

Game 1 went to the Lakers, 126-114, but the game was not as close as the score indicated, with L.A. leading by as many as 27 in the fourth.

Denver largely controlled Game 3 outside a rough stretch in the fourth where L.A. outscored the Nuggets 21-4, although the eventual victors responded with a 10-1 run to put the game away.

Game 4 is Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, and Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday at the same time. TNT is televising the entire Western Conference Finals.

The Denver Nuggets came back from 3-1 series deficits to beat the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers in their first two playoff rounds and just took down the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, 114-106 on Tuesday.

After the game, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone spoke about his team's resiliency and perseverance on the Walt Disney World campus, where the end of the season is being held amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Everyone has us packing up and leaving. We're not ready to go. For some reason we love the bubble." Malone told reporters, per DNVR Sports' Harrison Wind.

The Lakers still hold a 2-1 series edge, but Denver has been tough to put away at Disney. The Nuggets are the only team in NBA history to come back from a pair of 3-1 deficits in back-to-back series, per the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Nuggets are the only team in NBA history to come back from down 3-1 to force a Game 7 in back-to-back series. @EliasSports

Game 7: Tue. (9/15) - 9pm/et, ESPN pic.twitter.com/bNWMldm4o3

— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) September 13, 2020

The Nuggets have been the comeback kings during the postseason. Denver was down 12 with 3:35 left in the third quarter in Game 5 of its first-round series against Utah but won by 10 to stave off elimination. The Nuggets also trailed by 10 in the first quarter of Game 6 versus the Jazz but emerged victorious by 12.

Game 5 of the Clippers series told a similar story to Game 5 of the Jazz matchup. Once again, Denver trailed by double digits in the third quarter of a game where it faced postseason elimination. Once again, it didn't matter, as the Nuggets overcame a 59-44 early third-quarter deficit to win by six.

In Game 6, Denver trailed 73-58 with 8:18 left in the third quarter but took the lead early in the fourth quarter and won 111-98 after a 53-25 run.

Yet again, Denver overcame a double-digit deficit in Game 7, trailing 54-43 with 3:25 in the second quarter before roaring back to end the Clips' season following a 104-89 win.

Denver nearly pulled off a double-digit comeback in Game 2 of the Lakers series, as the team trailed 70-54 early in the third quarter. However, an Anthony Davis three-pointer as time expired propelled L.A. to a 105-103 win.

Still, this series is far from over after Denver's win Tuesday, and if we've learned anything from this Nuggets team so far, it's that double-digit leads clearly aren't safe against them.

Denver and L.A. will hit the floor for Game 4 on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.