Paul Millsap was one of the biggest names in free agency, and the Denver Nuggets got him, on a three-year, $90 million contract. Most assumed that he picked Denver over Atlanta; he had spent the last four seasons with the Hawks. According to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, though, Millsap didn’t even have the chance to re-up with Atlanta:
Paul Millsap tells the AJC the Hawks never offered him a contract. Story soon.
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) July 3, 2017
On paper, the Hawks’ decision makes some sense; they’ve clearly decided to commit to a rebuild, and Millsap, 32, is a win-now player.
Denver is a much more logical destination for Millsap. He’s older than the Nuggets’ core too, but the Nuggets are transitioning from a rebuilding team to a winning one – the exact opposite of what the Hawks are doing.
In Denver, next to Jokic, Millsap suddenly becomes a member of the second best big man duo in the league (with Anthony Davis-DeMarcus Cousins being the best, and Blake Griffin-DeAndre Jordan being a close third).
Millsap brings much-needed defense to Denver’s frontcourt. On offense, he can post up, face up, shoot from outside, and pass the ball. He’s one of the more versatile players in the league and is exactly what the Nuggets need.
