Denver Nuggets wing Will Barton has been with the franchise since the 2014-15 season, and while he’s going to hit free agency this summer, both he and the team are optimistic he’ll be sticking around. According to reports by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic, Barton declined to pick up the player option in his contract for the 2021-22 season, which would pay him $14.7 million.
Despite this, there is apparently optimism from both sides of the equation that Barton is not going to leave town, as the team and the player would like to work on a deal to keep him in Denver.
Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton will decline his $14.7 million player option for the 2021-22 season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Both sides are hopeful to find a deal in free agency.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 17, 2021
ESPN Sources: Denver Nuggets G/F Will Barton has declined his $14.7M player option for the 2021-2022 season and will become a free agent. There’s a strong interest between the organization and Barton to negotiate a new deal once free agency opens in August.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 17, 2021
Longest tenured Nugget with 7 seasons, Barton’s a top priority for Tim Connelly to keep long-term. He started 52 games and averaged 12.7 PPG. He lost several weeks with hamstring injury into start of playoffs, but finished with 25-point performance vs. Suns in elimination game. https://t.co/SV5HNDPmKK
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 17, 2021
While Barton has been a reliable source of perimeter offense for the Nuggets over the years, injuries limited him this past season to 56 games, with 13 of his absences coming at the very end of the season. That carried into the postseason, where he missed all of Denver’s first round series against the Portland Trail Blazers before returning for Games 2-4 against the Phoenix Suns, all of which were Nuggets losses.
On the season, the 30-year-old Barton averaged 12.7 points, four rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 31 minutes per game while connecting on 42.6 percent of his shots from the field and 38.1 percent of his threes.
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By: Bill DiFilippo
Title: Report: Will Barton And The Nuggets Are ‘Hopeful’ For A New Deal After He Declined His Player Option
Sourced From: feedproxy.google.com/~r/uproxx/withleather/~3/Tie_NGVZOZw/
Published Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2021 15:06:12 PDT
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