Before Thursday's NBA Draft, the Cavaliers reportedly engaged in talks with the Pacers and Nuggets on a possible three-team trade which would have sent Paul George to the Cavs and Kevin Love to the Nuggets. While the trade fell through, for now, the Nuggets remain interested in adding a power forward alongside star center Nikola Jokic.
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According to ESPN.com , in addition to Love, the Nuggets also covet unrestricted free agent forwards Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap, who each recently opted out of their deals.
After a poor draft and missing out on a possible trade involving the Suns' Eric Bledsoe, the Nuggets need to make a splash in free agency to keep pace with the Western Conference powers.
Griffin is coming off of a season in which he averaged 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, but he was knocked out of the playoffs with an injury and the Clippers were once again eliminated in the first round. Still, Griffin can earn up to a five-year, $175 million deal with the Clippers next season, or he could land a four-year, $130 million offer with another team.
A similar contract situation is looming for Millsap, who opted out of his $21.4 million contract with the Hawks for next season. Atlanta could offer Millsap as much as $205 million over five years but it appears to be in rebuilding mode, likely leaving the 32-year-old to four-year deals with other teams worth up to $152 million.
In 11 NBA seasons with the Hawks and Jazz, Millsap has averaged 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds. He was an All-Star for the fourth time this past season and, in 69 regular-season games, averaged 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds.