37-year-old All-Star DeRozan joined the Nuggets for just a veteran minimum of $3.9 million for one year, and this deal, which met both sides' needs, has shaken up the sports world.
News that 37-year-old All-Star DeMar DeRozan had signed with the Denver Nuggets on a one-year veteran minimum contract worth 3.9 million quickly sent shockwaves through the sports world.
You read that right—it’s not 39 million, but indeed 3.9 million.This six-time All-Star, who has played in the league for 16 seasons and once signed a contract worth over 100 million, proactively chose a one-year deal worth just over 3 million to join the Denver Nuggets. Ten years ago, almost no one would have believed such a thing could happen to an All-Star still in his prime.
The logic behind
this signing isn’t actually that complicated—the needs of both sides happen to align perfectly.The Nuggets had just undergone a major overhaul of their core roster the previous season; several key players left during the offseason, severely limiting their salary cap space to the point where they couldn’t even utilize the standard mid-level exception. The team’s recruitment goal at the time was very clear: to find mature players who required no adjustment period—players who could be plugged in immediately—to fill the gaps in the roster.At 37 years old, DeRozan has long since stopped pursuing a max contract as a goal for the twilight of his career. Last season, while playing for the Kings, he appeared in all 77 regular-season games, averaging 18.4 points per game,with a field goal percentage nearing 50 percent, demonstrating that he remains in good competitive form. His priority at this point is clear: to find a championship-contending team that offers him a real shot at a title.
Considering what each side has to offer, this signing is undoubtedly a great value for the Nuggets.DeRozan’s ability to create his own shots is among the best in the league. Once he’s inserted into the starting lineup, the Nuggets’ offensive system will have virtually no noticeable weaknesses. In the more physically demanding playoffs, Jokić will also receive more scoring support and will no longer have to shoulder the entire team’s offensive burden alone.Acquiring a plug-and-play, playoff-caliber scorer for just over three million in salary cap space is a surefire win by any measure.
What’s even more noteworthy is that the Nuggets didn’t use up excessive salary cap space in signing DeRozan; they subsequently successfully signed two practical role players, Bagley and Walker,while also hiring Dave Joerger to join the coaching staff specifically to refine the defensive system. By adding depth to the roster and addressing the team’s long-standing defensive weaknesses, every move precisely addressed the team’s needs without incurring unnecessary salary costs.
DeRozan has been in the league for over a decade. He entered the league as a rookie, spent many years honing his skills with the Raptors before becoming the team’s cornerstone, and later moved on to the Spurs, the Bulls, and finally the Kings. The ups and downs of his career have given him an extremely clear understanding of what he wants,He understands the reasoning behind this decision better than anyone else.
A defending champion team eager to fill roster gaps and a veteran All-Star unwilling to spend the twilight of his career bouncing from team to team came together to make this minimum-salary signing—one that caught many by surprise.This was never some stroke of luck; it was simply a matter of both sides clearly recognizing their core needs and not allowing themselves to be swayed by outside noise or superficial standards when making their decisions.
This clarity of mind, unclouded by external influences, is in itself the most valuable yardstick for judgment amid complex choices.
