The Nuggets have exercised a $30 million team option on forward Paul Millsap, the team announced Saturday.
Millsap, 34, averaged 12.6 points and 7.2 rebounds a game for the Nuggets this past season, his second in Denver. He signed with the Nuggets as a free agent in 2017.
A four-time All-Star with the Hawks, Millsap played a key role in Denver's breakout season. The Nuggets were 54-28 in the regular season, second only to the Warriors in the Western Conference, and advanced to the conference semifinals before losing to the Trail Blazers in seven games. It was the Nuggets' first trip to the playoffs since the 2012-13 season, which was also the last time the team won 50 games (57-25).
Millsap averaged 14.6 points per game in the playoffs, third best on the team.
"From how I want to do it and how I want my story to be told, this is definitely the group that can help me do it (win a title),” Millsap said during his exit interview last month, per the team's website. “It's been a dream and goal of mine. I see the drive in these guys to get better. I feel comfortable with that."
The move enables the Nuggets to retain its $9.2 million midlevel exemption and still avoid the luxury tax in 2019-20, ESPN reported.