Austin Rivers. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The Denver Nuggets are reportedly interested in signing free agent guard Austin Rivers to boost their roster for postseason.
The Nuggets and the 28-year-old guard might be close to finalizing a deal, sources told Shams Charania of The Athletic today. Denver also has free agents Troy Daniels and Gerald Green on their radar.
In a fickle game of musical chairs, Rivers started the NBA season on the New York Knicks, where he averaged 7.3 points a game and shot 43 percent from the field 36.4 percent from three, but he struggled to fit into the team. At the trade deadline, Rivers was sent to Oklahoma City, who ended up waiving Rivers. Rivers was then expected to sign with the Milwaukee, but got passed up for Jeff Teague.
Now, as a free agent, Rivers is attracting serious interest from the Nuggets. At the moment, Denver could use the extra guard depth with Jamal Murray injured and Gary Harris and R.J. Hampton traded to Orlando.
Denver Nuggets could sign free agent Austin Rivers, among others
Given the ongoing pandemic, the Nuggets are still figuring out the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols while they bring players in for training and workouts. If they were to add new players, each player would need to clear a number of tests before even stepping onto the court.
With much of the Nuggets’ core taking hefty contracts (Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon), Denver could be looking for a lower-cost option to fill out its roster for the postseason. If Rivers can fit into the Denver team better than he did on the Knicks, it might just be a match made in free agent heaven.