Sometimes, you just can’t say no.
Like Nikola Jokic last year, it appears that Juancho Hernangomez had such an impressive Summer League that Tim Connelly and the Denver Nuggets couldn’t afford to send him back to Europe for another season or two.
The Denver Nuggets have inked Juancho Hernangomez to a standard rookie-scale deal ($9.6 mil total) @BBallInsiders
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) July 29, 2016
In five games, Hernangomez averaged 10.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. And against the Heat, he absolutely shined, with a stat line of 14 points, 12 rebounds (4 offensive rebounds), five assists and two steals.
That’s called stuffing the stat box.
With Hernangomez now officially signed, Nuggets now have 14 players under guaranteed contracts (one below the 15-player maximum), which means that at least two of Joffrey Lauvergne, Axel Toupane and JaKarr Sampson will not make the team in 2016.
That said, bringing Hernangomez into the fold could open the door for a trade, as the Nuggets’ front court is now more crowded than ever, with upwards of six players looking to play significant minutes.
