The Denver Nuggets have reportedly guaranteed the salary of French forward Joffrey Lauvergne for the coming season, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
The guarantee of the salary boosts the likelihood that Lauvergne lands the team’s 15th and final roster spot, which would leave Jakarr Sampson and Axel Toupane searching for new work.
Lauvergne was on a non-guaranteed deal, but obviously the Nuggets saw enough from the big man to fully guarantee his contract for the coming season.
Lauvergne took strides in his first season in the NBA, averaging 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Lauvergne is a nice weapon to have come off the bench as a third center who can contribute on offense.
Lauvergne makes sense for the Nuggets as a third center behind Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic. The added depth will ensure the Nuggets are at least three deep at every position in the coming season.