According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Denver Nuggets plan to sign free agent point guard Reggie Jackson on the buyout market.
Guard Reggie Jackson is finalizing a contract buyout with the Charlotte Hornets and plans to sign with the No. 1 West seed Denver Nuggets after he clears waivers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 12, 2023
Jackson was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for Mason Plumlee prior to Thursday’s trade deadline. Rather than stay on a rebuilding team, Jackson is opting for a buyout and will instead sign with the Nuggets, a team with a real need at point guard following the trade of Bones Hyland to the…Los Angeles Clippers.
Jackson, 32, has been the starting point guard for the Clippers for the majority of the last three seasons. Jackson is more of a scorer than facilitator at the position, but with 12 seasons of service in the NBA, Jackson is now a veteran and knows how to operate an offense. He has averaged 25.7 minutes, 10.9 points, and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 41.8% from the field and 35.0% from three-point range. Jackson has maintained 92.4% efficiency at the free throw line though, an impressive figure.
The Nuggets have struggled to fill their backup point guard position ever since Jamal Murray’s ACL tear back in 2021. Facundo Campazzo and Bones have each struggled to handle the burden of the offense, though neither had been set up particularly well to accomplish the feat alone.
Jackson won’t be asked to run the second unit by himself either. He and Bruce Brown are likely to share ball handling duties, while Jamal Murray will likely stagger with the second unit during the playoffs anyway. There will be lineups featuring all three with the second unit that are unlikely to be Denver’s best and most efficient groups, but that’s not the most important thing. Denver just added a playoff tested contributor to their bench, somebody who can step in during a difficult situation if need be. They didn’t have anyone other than Ish Smith as an emergency option, and with Murray suffered right knee inflammation lately, the Nuggets could use another ball handler for at least the rest of the regular season.
Reggie Jackson may not play a major role, but that he has the capacity to play one gives the Nuggets options, something they lacked severely for a long while.
With the additions of Thomas Bryant and Reggie Jackson, the Nuggets have done some good work on the margins of their roster for an upcoming playoff push.
