The numbers are in after the Nuggets spent the summer slashing the payroll.
The Nuggets set out during the offseason to reduce their costs significantly. After staring at perhaps having a payroll for this season in excess of $86 million, the Nuggets instead are looking to open the season at $77.48 million, about $4 million less than what they paid out last season. Still, that would be $6.33 million over the NBA's luxury-tax threshold of $71.15. With second-round pick Sonny Weems having signed for the rookie minimum, the Nuggets have 13 players under contract. Unless there are injuries, don't expect them to start the season with any more. Due to still being over the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax, they would have to pay double for any other players signed.
The Nuggets' primary summer move to shed salary was shipping center Marcus Camby, who has a cap number of $10 million, to the Clippers for nothing more than the right to swap second-round picks in 2010 (the Nuggets also got a $10 million trade exception but don't expect that to be used until next July, if at all). They also appeared unwilling to offer free-agent forward Eduardo Najera anything more than a minimum salary, and he bolted to New Jersey for a four-year, $13 million deal.
The Nuggets' only apparent desire during the offseason to spend significant dollars came in the re-signing of J.R. Smith, a restricted free agent. He got a three-year deal worth about $16.5 million, with bonuses involved that could slightly alter that number. His cap number for this season is $4.985 million.
