Nuggets sign Hardaway, clever operation to improve strength and save costs

On July 2, 2025, the Denver Nuggets' actions in the player market attracted much attention. According to Shams, a senior ESPN reporter, the Nuggets and Tim Hardaway Jr., reached a one-year contract. Although the specific details of the contract have not been disclosed, it is a veteran's basic salary contract according to the salary structure website Spotrac.

This means that the Nuggets successfully signed Hardaway Jr. with a veteran salary of 3.63 million yuan. So, how good was he doing last season? In the regular season, Ha Ha averaged 11 points per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 36.8%; in the playoffs, his average score increased to 12 points, and his three-point shooting percentage remained at 30.6%. Especially during the Pistons' playing time, Ha Ha's shooting percentage in open three-pointers was as high as 63%. Such outstanding data allowed him to join with a basic salary, which is an excellent investment for the Nuggets. This team just needs excellent pitchers to enhance the lineup.

It is worth mentioning that in just 24 hours, the Nuggets made four extremely strategic transactions, demonstrating their operational wisdom: one was to exchange Porter Jr.'s first round pick for Kadeon; the other was to sign Bruce Brown with the first-year veteran's basic salary; the third was to obtain Valancius through Saric's trade; and finally, they also successfully signed Hardaway Jr. with the basic salary of the veteran.

According to the analysis of salary structure expert Yossi Gozlan, after obtaining a card transaction, the Nuggets successfully saved 40 million yuan to avoid luxury taxes and obtained a full middle-class special case of 14.1 million yuan, and released 16.8 million yuan in transaction special case, thus allowing them to successfully conduct consecutive basic salary signings.

The Nuggets' expected main rotation lineup has also surfaced, including Murray, Braun, Kayo, Gordon and Jokic. In addition, Bruce Brown, Hardaway Jr., Strauser, Watson and Valan are also important members. It is worth noting that Daron Holmes and Zick Najib can also play a role at any time, so the Nuggets have hoarded four centers to relieve Jokic of the pressure.