The Denver Nuggets are clearly in need for a full rebuild, but with still a lot of talented pieces on their roster, the Nuggets want to keep some of them around. This has been shown with their latest offseason move of signing small forward Wilson Chandler to a 4 year, $46 million extension. Chandler's new contract will start when the 2016-17 NBA season comes around, once his current contract expires.
Chandler has shown to be a productive wing during his 8 seasons as an NBA player. Throughout his career so far, he has averaged 13.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 44% shooting from the field. During the 2014-15 season with the Nuggets, Chandler averaged 13.9 points on 43% shooting, 1.7 assists, while upping his rebounding to a career high of 6.1 per game.
Drafted with the 23rd pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, Chandler spend 3 full seasons as a member of a struggling Knicks team. Half way through his 4th season, Chandler was a key piece of the blockbuster Carmelo Anthony trade which sent him along with Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mosgov and Raymond Felton to Denver.
Chandler spent time in China during the NBA lockout, where he stayed for much of the 2011-12 NBA season. He rejoined the Nuggets for their 2012 playoff run and was a key member of the 2013 Nuggets side that won 57 games.
With the $46 million that the Nuggets are going to invest into Chandler, they are going to get a wing that is quite versatile. He can play and defend multiple positions at a high standard. His athleticism and length enables him to guard almost anyone from the opposing team.
Offensively, Chandler can play 2, 3 and in certain lineups, small ball 4. Chandler being able to play small ball 4 is incredibly useful in the ever evolving NBA. The trend that was shown to full effect during the Finals will continue to become more popular and more frequent in the years to come. For the Nuggets, this could have been one of the biggest reasons why they decided to extend him.
Wilson Chandler did however struggle to shoot the ball this season. He wasn't very consistent from mid-range or the 3 point line and because of this wasn't able to contribute as much to the Nuggets' offense as in previous years.
To some signing a 28 year old to a rather large extension doesn't make too much sense for a rebuilding team. Especially considering that they may want to tank in order to speed up their rebuild. But with the cap going up in the next couple of years to extraordinary heights, this contract won't seem as big soon.
Having him locked up for multiple years on a deal that won't seem as big in a year or two gives the Nuggets plenty of options. The simple option would be to just keep him and have him be apart of their rebuild since he is a solid veteran that will bring leadership and a wealth of experience on a young team. But the other option would be to trade him.
Chandler in the past has received interest around the league, most recently from the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. With his new extension in place, it means that the Nuggets will be able to get a much better deal in place if they do decide to trade him. If they decided not to give him this extension and then decide to trade him at mid-season, the Nuggets would not get as much in return. This is because teams would recognize that they could just sign him in the offseason instead of a potential trade.
Chandler is a solid piece for the Nuggets and although the Nuggets are rebuilding, he is a good veteran that could be useful on the court or even in a potential trade.