Denver Nuggets Should Look to Trade Reggie Jackson After He Exercised Player Option

Reggie Jackson exercised his player option for the 2024-25 season on Monday, guaranteeing his $5.25 million deal. He is coming off of his 11th straight season of averaging at least 10 points a game and has proved to still be a serviceable backup point guard in the NBA.

Although he has proved to still be a good player in the NBA, the Denver Nuggets should look to trade the veteran guard this offseason. Since his arrival in Denver, he has been extremely inconsistent, having some brutal stretches after starting the 2023-24 season well.

Jackson could use a change of scenery as his play style has never fit the Nuggets pass-first scheme led by superstar Nikola Jokić. Jackson’s ball-dominant playing style was clearly a different style than the Nuggets were used to, which prevented him from carving out a bigger role with the Nuggets, especially when it came to the playoffs. A trade could benefit both parties.

Played Better as a Starter than Reserve

Jackson thrived in his starts while struggling off the bench

After having reliable point guard Monte Morris off the bench for the duration of Jamal Murray’s missed time due to the ACL tear he suffered in April 2021, the Nuggets had a big hole at backup point guard when they traded Morris to the Washington Wizards in the deal that brought Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Nuggets in the 2022 offseason. The Nuggets signed Jackson for the rest of the 2022-23 season in February 2023, after Jackson was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Charlotte Hornets and later waived by the Hornets.

Jackson struggled to get going in his first season as a Nugget, where he only put up 7.9 points a game at only 38.3% from the field, his lowest average points per game since his sophomore season as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and his lowest field goal percentage since his rookie season. Despite his struggles, the Nuggets bet on him to bounce back and signed him to a two-year contract with a player option, which he just accepted.

To start the 2023-24 season, Jackson got off to a hot start, making the Nuggets look like geniuses for signing him to an extension. Murray dealt with injuries, missing almost all of November. Jackson stepped into the starting role and thrived, showing he still had a lot of fuel left in the tank. After Murray’s return, Jackson continued his strong play until the start of 2024, when his numbers took a big dip.

The difference in Jackson’s numbers between starting and coming off the bench was drastic last season, and one of the main reasons his role began to diminish toward the end of the season. His play later in the year, when he was mostly coming off the bench, led to him receiving less playing time in the playoffs. He only played for 10+ minutes in the playoffs in four out of the Nuggets’ 12 playoff games, while not having any standout games.

Jackson’s Struggles Were Loud

Poor play in losses led to his minutes decreasing

In both postseasons with the Nuggets, Jackson has failed to carve out a big role, setting career lows across the board in his 18 games he has played for them across the last two playoffs. A big reason for Jackson’s lack of a role in the playoffs was his incredibly inconsistent play.

This past season, Jackson showed he could still compete at a high level, especially in wins. It was the losses where Jackson’s struggles were apparent. His shooting percentage was much worse and his net rating flipped around, going from a big positive to a large negative.

Jackson wasn’t the sole reason for many of the Nuggets’ losses, but his play in those losses did not help the Nuggets, who relied on Jackson to provide value off the bench, which was one of the Nuggets’ weakest aspects. The drastic shift in offensive rating between wins and losses shows that Jackson lost control of the offense when he was on the court in losses. Jackson’s offensive rating of 96 in losses would rank last in the NBA by over 10 points.

As Jackson received fewer minutes, his play got worse. In games where Jackson played fewer than 20 minutes, he only shot 37.8% from the field and 30.3% from three, having an abysmal 45.1% true shooting. During those games, he was only averaging 6.8 points.

Cheaper Options Available in Free Agency

Impactful players could be signed for the veteran’s minimum

If the Nuggets are able to find a trade partner for Jackson, they could get some value in return, especially if they are to package him with Zeke Nnaji, who has failed to carve out a role with the Nuggets. A new team could help both him and Jackson get back on track and revive their careers. What they get in return could be a variety of options, but since Jackson and Nnaji don’t have much value alone, they might need to attach other assets to sweeten deals if they want to upgrade their rotation.

If the Nuggets don’t find a trade partner, Jackson could still be valuable as a fallback option, but it is likely there are some teams out there that would find interest in Jackson, who has still shown flashes of the solid point guard he was as a Clipper and member of the Detroit Pistons.

Some free agent point guards that could be signed for the minimum that would be beneficial additions to the Nuggets are Dennis Smith Jr., Kris Dunn and Delon Wright, all of whom are unrestricted free agents and would fit better within the Nuggets’ system than Jackson, who has had his clear struggles with Denver.

The main difference between Jackson’s contributions and the three players that could potentially be signed for the veteran’s minimum is defensive production. Smith Jr., Dunn and Wright are all plus defenders who can defend guards well, and would fit well within the Nuggets’ pass-first scheme. All of them could be underrated signings and play beyond their contracts. Any of those three unrestricted free agents would immediately contribute to the Nuggets if they are to move on from Jackson.

Related

OG Anunoby Declines Player Option, Officially Becomes Free Agent

Anunoby declined his player option on Monday, and can now officially test the free agent market.