The Nuggets have a chance to undo some of their past mistakes with the Will Barton contract this summer. In past fan posts within the last year I have implored the Nuggets to alternatively dump salary, not pay Plumlee and position themselves for potential free agents.

Will Barton, like every other free agent in the NBA, wants as much money as possible. The problem of course is that he isn’t a top player at his position. He clearly has some NBA skills, yet also has some major holes in his game. His value will be determined by team need as well as how teams value his contributions.

Here are the teams that have enough cap to sign Barton no matter what. Atlanta. The Kings, Pacers, Suns, Bulls, Mavericks, 76ers and Nets all have the potential to have cap space depending on what they do with their roster.

Barton is the type of player teams can talk themselves into. A scorer, athlete, and positive guy can often be a fan favorite while not bringing any actual detriment to the team. He is 27 yrs old and in his prime. His defense is poor as we all know but there are a lot of teams that just won’t care. His assists are decent even though his court vision is probably below average. He also has poor instincts off the ball, tending to stand and wait until the ball swings to him.

Here’s the rub. Barton is almost certainly more valuable to another team than he is to Denver. As Denver looks to develop talent, Barton is developed, he is who he is and is only going to take time from the younger guys. Here are the most important things for Denver to do.

Don’t bid against themselves a la Plumlee.

Remember how big contracts to mid level guys come back to haunt a franchise.

If his contract isn’t too onerus, match and then use Barton as trade bait.

Stick with a low offer, Barton’s happiness won’t determine the future of this franchise in any meaningful way like Jokic or Gary or Murray’s will.

Don’t talk yourself into Will Barton as you did Faried and Plumlee. He’s very limited. Not worth an overpay.
The next couple years are going to be developmental anyway with Michael Porter Jr.’s timeline in question. Let the young guys play, or heal. Don’t put too much pressure on anyone, or especially on the franchise as a whole. Get serious about games but don’t get serious about the season. Sit the guys not playing hard. Find out who the future is. Hell, find out who the long term coach is.

No matter what, Barton needs to be used as trade bait. There’s a good chance a team making a push for the playoffs in January would be willing to take Barton and Plumlee for an expiring. Clearing the books for a potential free agent in 2019 should be a priority. Otherwise, the other play is to trade multiple young guys for a higher level prospect. The only way Barton is helpful in something like that is if his salary is attractive.

In 30/20, a fan post about a year ago, I begged the FO to use Chandler to unload Arthur or Faried. In the same fan post I begged them not to overpay Plumlee. They did neither and now the Nugget’s financial flexibility is limited.

This year I’m begging the FO to not overpay Barton. He’s not going to improve much if at all. Do not be concerned about Barton pouting. It won’t matter long term. There are enough young players on this roster that need time, to make it worthwhile to just let Barton walk. He’s not Dikembe.

For two years in a row the Nuggets have sacrificed long term results to try and make the playoffs. Stop. Just stop. Stop scrapping for every inch when you’re scrapping for 8th place. Start fighting for first, understanding that’s going to take some time to set up for. Get on the Jokic, Harris, Murray, Porter timelime. Look to add a key free agent at the right point in that timelime. Develop a couple guys, possibly even undrafted ones. It’s ok, no rush for two years. Find a Covington, or Ingles; smart, high IQ, undrafted guys who can be developed and be big contributors without being big paydays. It’s time to get smart Nuggets, and that starts with a low salary to Will Barton.