Summary

Millsap is no longer the All-Star caliber player he was in Atlanta, but he has shown he can still be a valuable part of a contending team, especially on the defensive end. Despite not having great size or athleticism, Millsap has always been an above-average defender due to his intelligence.

 

The Nuggets may have found a replacement for Millsap when they traded for Jerami Grant, who is nine years younger and plays the same position. Michael Porter, Jr. could also fill this role soon. However, Millsap's fit next to Jokic has proven to be solid, and the Nuggets could theoretically re-sign both of their power forwards. However, doing so would likely push Denver into the luxury tax, something that they have avoided in the past. Millsap will be 35 years old next summer, so I think he will only be getting short-term offers.

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Cap Considerations

Millsap will be an unrestricted free agent with a $41 million cap hold and full Bird rights. Since the Nuggets will almost certainly be operating over the salary cap, they will retain Millsap's Bird rights, and have no restrictions on re-signing him. However, the luxury tax will certainly be a concern, as spending heavily on retaining their free agents could cost the Nuggets a lot of money in luxury tax penalties.

 

Therefore, other teams will have a legitimate shot at signing Millsap away from Denver. However, Millsap will probably demand a starting salary of more than the full $9.3 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, which means only teams with cap space will be able to sign him. If Millsap and an over-the-cap team have mutual interest, sign-and-trade options can be explored.