The Denver Nuggets roster is now set. Saturday afternoon the team waived Nick Johnson and kept Erick Green to get to the final tally of guaranteed slots to 15. Per Chris Dempsey:
Erick Green has made the #Nuggets team, a source has confirmed. The team has waived G Nick Johnson.
— Chris Dempsey (@dempseypost) October 24, 2015
For most of the preseason, the only battle of note on the Denver Nuggets' roster has been between Erick Green and Nick Johnson for the 15th and final slot. Neither is a perfect backup point guard, and both are too small to get a lot of minutes at the 2 guard spot.
Johnson had a case as the final remaining piece of the Ty Lawson trade (unless you include the upcoming first-round draft pick and the salary freedom that allowed us to re-sign Danilo Gallinari), and he had athleticism and defensive acumen that Green lacked. Green had been shooting lights-out in the gym since summer league, but had been slowed by a tweaked knee in the early preseason games.
Both men got longer looks in the final preseason games, but Green's slightly better performances were counter-balanced by the extra salary he'd require if kept, since Johnson's salary was fully guaranteed while Green had only a $100,000 price tag unless he made the final roster. The Nuggets chose the better player performance over saving face on the trade or sparing themselves a few (hundred thousand) dollars.
Around noon local time the Nuggets posted this vine for Catch & Shoot Saturday, that features #11 Erick Green prominently:
Catch & shoot Saturday. #Nuggets https://t.co/1klnI5wWds
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 24, 2015
Consider that a spoiler alert for a player who worked tirelessly this offseason to prove he belongs in this league and on the Denver bench.
Additionally the Nuggets waived Oleksiy Pecherov and Devin Sweetney.
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