Denver's Rumor Mill Keeps Proving the Cheap Ones True
The rumors that came true this week were the cheap ones; the ones with real money attached are still just rumors.
Denver added guard Boopie Miller on an Exhibit 10 deal and cut two camp bodies, Keonte Jones and Dixon-Waters, the same week a Hoops Rumors report called the cuts before they landed. Every report that has actually held up so far involved a contract at or near the minimum; the pricier ones remain unconfirmed.
The confirmed reports were the cheap ones
Cam Whitmore went from a name on Denver's radar, per Marc Stein on September 15, to a signed two-way contract reported by Shams Charania on September 18. That report carried a confidence score of 85, and it held. Boopie Miller's Exhibit 10 report from Stein scored a 79, and it held too: Miller joined the roster today. DeMar DeRozan's arrival was pegged at just 48 back on September 8, yet he is on the roster as well, a reminder that a confidence score tracks how a story is sourced, not how likely the move actually was.
What's still just noise
Vlatko Cancar's knee surgery report sits at a 32 with no update since September 12. Hunter Tyson's move to an Italian club carries a 41. A Paul Garcia roundup grouping Denver with four other teams' roster business scored 48 and named no Nuggets specifics. None of these touch the active roster, and none has been confirmed by a transaction since it surfaced.
The names circling now
Hoops Rumors reported Ryan Nembhard is likely to be waived by Charlotte, and RealGM added that he would draw interest from multiple teams, Denver included, if that happens. Nugg Love has floated both Nembhard and a newly available Buddy Hield as fits for a backup point guard spot. Neither is in a sourced rumor report yet; it is outlet speculation, not a filed deal.
Why it would come cheap either way
Denver's payroll runs $221.1M, past the $200.4M luxury tax line and the $209.0M first-apron threshold. A team there cannot add real money without moving money out first, so whatever comes next, Nembhard or Hield included, would have to fit at or near the minimum, the same shape as Miller's deal and Whitmore's two-way, not the contracts already on the books for Jokic, Murray and Gordon.
Did Denver actually sign Boopie Miller?
Yes. Miller joined the roster on an Exhibit 10 deal on September 23, the day after Marc Stein reported the agreement.
Could Denver realistically add a player like Ryan Nembhard or Buddy Hield?
Only at the minimum. Denver's payroll stays past the first apron, so any addition would have to come as cheap as Miller's deal or Whitmore's two-way.
