{"id":756299,"date":"2026-06-09T03:39:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T03:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/756299\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T03:39:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T03:39:17","slug":"landry-shamet-showing-importance-of-maximizing-minimum-contracts-nba-insider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/756299\/","title":{"rendered":"Landry Shamet showing importance of maximizing minimum contracts | NBA Insider"},"content":{"rendered":"

Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:<\/p>\n

NBA Insider<\/p>\n

For the teams with stars on max contracts, going from contender to champion can come down to what kind of value the guys on the smallest salaries provide<\/p>\n

The Knicks don\u2019t win the first two games in San Antonio without Landry Shamet continuing a scorching hot playoff run into the finals. After going a preposterous 11 for 12 from 3 against the Cavaliers in the conference finals, Shamet started the Finals by going 6 for 13 from deep in Games 1 and 2. He\u2019s playing 31.5 minutes per game to start the Finals and is yet to commit a turnover against the Spurs. After being drafted by Philadelphia in 2018, Shamet bounced from the 76ers to the Clippers, Nets, Suns and Wizards before signing with the Knicks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose plays in the margins \u2013 Shamet had a couple of big 3s \u2013 those are the types of plays that that\u2019s the difference in the game,\u201d Nuggets forward Cam Johnson said on a recent episode of his podcast \u201cThe Old Man and the Three.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Landry Shamet can continue to shoot the way he\u2019s been shooting, it is going to be really hard on San Antonio.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Antonio and Oklahoma City\u2019s situations are different, as some of their stars were still on rookie contracts. The Celtics got good minutes from Luke Kornet, who was a on a minimum contract for Boston\u2019s 2024 championship squad before signing with the Spurs. Jeff Green made slightly more than minimum while providing value depth during Denver\u2019s 2023 title run.<\/p>\n

Unless the Nuggets tear it down to the stud and completely revamp the roster around Nikola Jokic, Denver\u2019s going to need to get production from minimum salaries to make the most of the final seasons of Jokic\u2019s prime. The good news for the Nuggets fans is Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace\u2019s front office has already demonstrated an ability to do just that,<\/p>\n

Tim Hardaway Jr. played last season on a veteran minimum worth $3.6 million, finished third in the Sixth Man of the Year race and made the second-most 3-pointers in a season in franchise history. Bruce Brown also took a minimum to come back to Denver. He again served as an every-night member of the rotation.<\/p>\n

The bad news is the Nuggets are capped at offering Hardaway and Brown 120% of to return next season since they don\u2019t have either\u2019s bird rights. It\u2019s the same situation the Nuggets were in with Brown after the 2023 season.<\/p>\n

Tyus Jones and David Roddy are among the other players who finished last season in Denver who could be back on minimum contracts.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s going to be hard to find athletic, defensive-minded players who provide enough offense to be playable on a minimum contract, but it might not be impossible.<\/p>\n

Keon Ellis, Josh Okogie, Matisse Thybulle, Gary Payton II and Jaylen Clark fit the mold on the perimeter, while Marvin Bagley III, Andre Drummond and Jock Landale could be bargin-bin options on the inside.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m Reading<\/p>\n

Sam Vecenie dropped his latest mock draft for The Athletic on Monday morning. He\u2019s got the Nuggets selecting Stanford\u2019s one-and-done guard Ebuka Okorie at the end of the first round and Tobias Jensen, a 6-foot-6 guard who played in Germany last season, at the end of the second.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7337276\/2026\/06\/08\/nba-mock-draft-dybantsa-boozer-intel\/?source=emp_shared_article&unlocked_article_code=1.olA.oLTN.zlWS03Qv2_P1<\/a><\/p>\n

\"(FromFrom left: Jonathan Wallace, executive vice president of player personnel; Ben Tenzer, executive vice president of basketball operations; Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of KSE; and Nuggets head coach David Adelman answer questions from the media during an end of season press conference at Ball Arena on Friday, May 8. Stephen Swofford, The Gazette<\/p>\n

(Stephen Swofford, Denver Gazette)<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m Thinking<\/p>\n

The Nuggets are better off going with a proven player at the end of the first round.<\/p>\n

A one-and-done player who\u2019s available with the 26th pick will come with a higher ceiling and a much lower floor. Upside is alluring to rebuilding teams for good reason. That\u2019s not the situation Denver should be in anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Taking an older player with more polish is the play for a Denver team<\/p>\n

If the Nuggets want to take a long shot on upside, they can find a lottery ticket in the back end of the second round. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Whichever way the Nuggets go will reveal a lot about the front office\u2019s thinking. Pick 26 will be the first made by Tenzer and Wallace\u2019s front office.<\/p>\n

\"\"FILE \u2013 Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman, right, waves to the crowd as players applaud after he becomes the eighth coach in the NBA to win 1,000 games after defeating the Detroit Pistons in their basketball game, April 6, 2013, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo\/Jim Mone, File)<\/p>\n

What They\u2019re Saying<\/p>\n

Nuggets coach David Adelman talked with Portland author Kerry Eggers about his late father, Rick, who died last week. The full story is available at kerryeggers.com.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad cared about the players and not himself. He believed in the group. He wanted the group to do well. He wanted his staff to do well,\u201d David said. \u201cHe was the guy in charge, but there was a genuine care there. That is hard to find in any aspect of life nowadays. When you are like that, people will follow you, because they believe you have their best interests at heart. He was always that way \u2014 with his family, with his players.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thunder general manager Sam Presti held his end-of-season press conference Monday and talked about the scrutiny Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received after another Most Valuable Player campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s playing against 6 people. He\u2019s got 5 defenders and the 6th defender is social media.\u201d<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m Following<\/p>\n

With President Trump scheduled to attend Monday\u2019s Game 3, Madison Square Garden implemented stricter security protocols that included limiting the number of fans surrounding the arena.<\/p>\n

The Hawks and coach Quin Snyder agreed to a multiyear contract extension after a 46-36 regular season and playoff berth.<\/p>\n

Toronto promoted Bobby Webster to executive vice president and signed him to a multiyear contract extension. Webster stepped up last year after Masai Ujiri was fired.<\/p>\n


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