The Nuggets waived guard Erick Green on Thursday morning, clearing a roster spot to sign forward Kostas Papanikolaou, the team announced Thursday.
Papanikolaou was traded to the Nuggets in July, part of to the Rockets. The Nuggets waived Papanikolaou on Sept. 25, about nine days before his contract at the time, worth $4.8 million would have become guaranteed. The with an eye on possibly bringing him back.
Now they have.
Injuries played a big part in making the move necessary. The Nuggets have sustained massive injuries to their front court, starting with center Jusuf Nurkic, who is not expected back in the rotation until December, as he recovers from offseason knee surgery.
Nurkic’s replacement at center, Joffrey Lauvergne, and his backup, Nikola Jokic, have both sustained back injuries. Neither played against the Lakers on Tuesday night, and both are questionable for tonight’s game against Utah.
Meanwhile, Green’s run with the Nuggets is over. , he this season — and did. Green played limited minutes in three of the Nuggets’ first four games.
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or @dempseypost
