After weeks of speculation, Will Barton, who is an unrestricted free agent until he signs on the dotted line, will seemingly not be leaving the Denver Nuggets regardless of luxury tax implications after agreeing to a four-year contract worth $54 million, sources tell Mile High Sports. Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports was first to report the deal.
Not only did Barton get a four-year deal that pays $54 million, but he also was able to get a player option in the fourth year according to Zach Lowe of ESPN. As a cherry on top, he will also become the starting small forward according to Chris B. Haynes of ESPN. Considering the market, that is one massive deal for Barton, who has earned every penny.
Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report that the Nuggets and Barton had “strong momentum” on their way towards a deal that could be decided on very quickly after the 2018 NBA free agency period begins. This report from Mannix is consistent with Wojnarowski’s intel which does lead many to believe that this deal is truly on its way.
Barton’s reported four-year deal that could be worth north of $50 million is quite the large contract. Denver could suddenly be more than $22 million into the luxury tax after giving Nikola Jokic a max contract and Gary Harris’ extension kicks in. Now, the Nuggets likely will begin shedding salary. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Nuggets not only have Kenneth Faired, Wilson Chandler, and Darrell Arthur on the trade block, but could also added Mason Plumlee to that group as well.
It seems that the free agency period could be a very active time for the Nuggets.