Nuggets Make Unexpected Move Surrounding Jalen Pickett's Future

The move effectively sends Pickett to the free agent market with the opportunity to sign with another team after spending the past three years with the Nuggets.

Pickett has plated 126 career regular season games with the Nuggets since being drafted with the 32nd-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, logging career averages of 4.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 42.5% from the field and 38.7% from three.

Now, there's a real chance that Pickett has played his final game in a Nuggets uniform.

Why the Decision Is So Surprising

The primary factor of the Nuggets' decision to decline Pickett's option that sticks out as surprising is because of the money it would've saved Denver to keep him on the roster, rather than going out to sign another player to fill his roster spot.

His $2.4 million deal that would've been on tap for next season, due to his rookie contract, was a tad lower than that of what would be paid out to a veteran minimum salary for a player with his same years of experience.

According to numbers via Spotrac, a four-year player on a veteran minimum would be worth $2.6 million. Any player with six or more years of experience would have a minimum salary of over $3 million.

Instead, the Nuggets have decided to turn in another direction for their backcourt depth, rather than looking to save a bit of money against the cap.

For a team like the Nuggets who have seen many expect them to shed a bit of salary around the edges to stay under the second apron and avoid paying a steep amount of money via luxury tax, opting to steer clear of a simple money-saving method like this one does tend to come as a bit of a surprise from the initial expectation.

Where the Nuggets Go From Here

The Nuggets have been rumored to have an eye for more ball-handling and guard depth for their rotation entering this offseason. But clearly, those efforts will be done without Pickett being an answer to those needs.

Denver's desire for additional guard depth was pretty clear dating back to last season when the team added veteran Tyus Jones from the buyout market on a rest-of-season contract in hopes that he could offer that skill set.

Jones would be someone who landed playoff minutes over Pickett in the Nuggets' rotation, but didn't quite bring that true spark that the team was in need of; only playing 8.4 minutes a night during his 11 regular-season appearances.

Now, the Nuggets will have to look into the guard market even further this offseason, considering that all of Pickett, Jones, and pending free agents Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. might not be back on the roster next season, thus leaving Denver with work to do in the days and weeks ahead.