Sources: Nuggets matching Jones' offer sheet — SkimNews
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- Denver Nuggets matched the Thunder's fully guaranteed two-year, $12 million offer sheet to forward Spencer Jones, retaining the restricted free agent the team originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024
- Nuggets' projected tax penalty increases by $32 million — from $36 million to roughly $68 million — pushing Denver into the NBA's second apron for the first time under the current collective bargaining agreement
- Denver is the only NBA team currently in the second apron, a designation that carries strict roster-building restrictions including limits on using exceptions and aggregating player salaries in trades
- Spencer Jones shot an NBA-best 69.2% from three-point range during the 2025 playoffs and averaged 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds across 64 games (37 starts) in the 2025-26 regular season
- Nuggets are also pursuing restricted free agent Peyton Watson, with the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and LA Clippers pursuing him — Denver's tax bill could climb further if they match any offer sheet Watson signs
- Denver has paid a cumulative $53 million in luxury tax penalties since the system was implemented in 2002-03, underscoring how this single match dwarfs the franchise's entire historical tax bill by roughly $15 million
Why it matters: Denver becomes the NBA's only second-apron team, surrendering significant roster flexibility to keep an undrafted rotation piece whose playoff three-point shooting (69.2%) justified the cost for a contender built around a championship window. With Peyton Watson also a restricted free agent, the Nuggets' tax bill could balloon past $100 million if they match his sheet too — a stark reversal for a franchise that had paid just $53 million in total luxury taxes across two decades.
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