The Nuggets whiffed at the NBA Draft this past week, entering without a single pick and failing to make a move to acquire one during the two-day, two-round event. The team wasted no time once the draft ended, signing three players to the Summer League team, and they continued the action on Saturday, signing Reece Beekman to a Summer League contract and releasing PJ Hall.
Hall was on a two-way contract last season with the Nuggets, but failed to make any waves with the big club. He’s just too stiff and not a good enough shooter to make an impact at the NBA level at this point. Maybe he can latch on with another team and grow into a solid role player, but Denver has clearly given up on that idea.
Beekman was a defensive ace point guard for Virginia in college, winning the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in his junior and senior seasons. He went undrafted last season and wound up signing a two-way deal with the Warriors before being traded to Brooklyn as part of the Dennis Schroder trade.
He finished out last season with the Nets’ G-League team and has now signed a two-way contract with the Nuggets. A defensive-minded point guard is exactly what Denver needs, but it remains to be seen if he can contribute at the NBA level.
Dumping Alexander remains a puzzling move
All told, the Nuggets have now moved on from Trey Alexander and PJ Hall, while adding Beekman, Tamar Bates, Reyne Smith, and Curtis Jones. It’s pretty normal for teams to turnover the end of the roster each summer like this, but the Alexander move is still a head-scratcher.
The young guard couldn’t have had a better rookie season in Grand Rapids, dominating the G-League, carving it up to the tune of almost 26, 6, and 6 a night. His shooting was solid, and the defense was acceptable, too.
He looked like he had real NBA potential at a position of major need for the Nuggets. Giving up on an undrafted gem like that after just one outstanding season makes no sense. The guys they brought in may be fine players, but none are likely to win G-League Rookie of the Year, or make an impact in Denver any time soon.
Perhaps there was more going on behind the scenes with Alexander, but on the surface, he seems like exactly the kind of player that teams are trying to find when sifting through the undrafted free agent waters. A lot of guys will have a lot to prove at Summer League this year.