In the wake of this morning’s Shamwow, detailing the impending Nikola Jokic re-signing, Chris Dempsey dropped a much smaller bomb—the Denver Nuggets are expected to extend a qualifying offer to Torrey Craig.
Craig, the 27-year old forward coming off of his late rookie season, was on a two-way contract with the Nuggets in the 2017-18 campaign. Despite the long and windy road that Craig took to reach the NBA, he was able to have a much larger positive impact on the team than many expected in his first year. In the absence of a defensive stopper on the wing and given Wilson Chandler’s inconsistencies, it was a luxury for head coach Michael Malone to plug in the long and tenacious Craig in his stead.
Craig averaged just 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, but he did so in an extremely limited role. The Nuggets may have missed the playoffs, but they were in the race up until the final game, and Craig distinguished himself from his two-way peers by providing 16.1 minutes per game for a competitive squad. His energy and versatility on the defensive end quickly ingratiated him with the local fans and put him in a position to expect a decent reward as he enters restricted free agency for the first time in his infantile NBA career.
As for what exactly this qualifying offer is, and when the Nuggets plan to actually extend it, both remain somewhat of a mystery for now. A qualifying offer is defined in the CBA as a one year deal that is relative to the prior year’s salary for the restricted free agent in question, but for a two-way contract, it is a little less clear. Here’s an excerpt from 2 ways and 10 days, the premiere blog for G League coverage:
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So it appears what the Nuggets are rumored to eventually extend is another two-way contract.
UPDATE: The Nuggets have officially extended the offer, per Chris Dempsey.
