Does Losing Linas Kleiza Doom the Nuggets?

The Denver Nuggets have said goodbye to another key member of their Western Conference Finals team. First to go was free agent shooting guard Dahntay Jones, who accepted a free agent deal with the Indiana Pacers. Then over the weekend the team dealt rarely used center Steven Hunter to the Memphis Grizzlies for a draft pick and a little salary cap relief. Now it appears Denver is about to lose small forward Linas Kleiza, who has reportedly received a contract from Greek basketball club Olympiakos. His deal has been announced as a two year contract valued at $6 million dollars per year, with an option to opt out and return to the NBA after the first season. This new contract is a nearly an 80 percent increase in salary for Kleiza, who earned one and a half million dollars playing for Denver last season. At the beginning of the offseason, Denver extended a qualifying offer to Kleiza, which would guarantee he would make $2.7 million dollar next season. While Kleiza has been a ...