No, the Eduardo Najera signing in New Jersey didn’t have the coast-to-coast drama of, say, the Elton Brand signing (or, for that matter, even the Mickael Pietrus signing).
But here in Denver, the Najera signing is relevant and has resonance.
What will Denver’s bench look like come autumn? Who will fill in at the low post if, as history suggests, a Nuggets post player is injured? Who will provide the character, the hustle and all the intangibles Najera has provided the Nuggets since 2005?
“Eddie was one of our most efficient and effective players this season,” Nuggets coach George Karl said of his cherished reserve. “It seems like he was on an improvement curve. The situations and circumstances sometimes don’t dictate what you want to do.”
The circumstance is that Denver doesn’t have a lot of dough. Because the Nuggets are already above the salary cap, they couldn’t match a four-year deal for Najera. Moreover, Najera is 32, and locking up a 30-something reserve for four seasons is a risk.
Because Denver doesn’t have much money, it likely won’t sign any “name” free agents. The team was deeply interested in Mavs forward Antoine Wright, according to agent Andy Miller, but Wright has agreed to re-sign with Dallas. Denver’s coach said it’s possible reserve Yakhouba Diawara will return, but even so, Diawara seldom played. It’s possible Denver will add a new player or two via free agency, but it appears the players would be minimum-contract signees.
“We have spots,” Karl said of the roster. “Right now you have two or three spots that you can argue are ‘open.’ ”
One more wrinkle is J.R. Smith, the restricted free agent who received a qualifying offer from the Nuggets. But Smith can flirt all summer. He can wait until he gets what he thinks will be the best offer from another team — and then wait for Denver to match — to get the most money possible.
And as expected, point guard Anthony Carter confirmed on Saturday that he has officially signed with Denver for one year, $1.26 million.
Nuggets officials are currently in Las Vegas for the summer league, “trying to find pieces that can make us better,” as Karl put it. The summer league will be a stage for Nuggets Bobby Jones and Taurean Green.
It’s possible Denver will make a trade this summer. Center Marcus Camby could be a candidate, because of his high salary and Denver’s annual hope that Nene will be healthy enough to play Camby-like minutes.
Even so, they won’t have Najera off the bench to log minutes in the low post. New Jersey will.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
