Denver Nuggets centre Nene Hilario decides to test the free agency – NBA Update
Brazilian centre Nene has made it official; he is going into the free agency. The player had flirted with the idea since the season ended and his announcement does not come as a surprise to anyone.
The Denver Nuggets player was set to earn $11.8 million next season in his current contract, but the player opted not to take it up and test what the market has to offer him instead.
Nene averaged 14.5 points per game in the regular season and 14.2 in the playoffs. In addition to that, he grabbed an average of 7.6 boards in the regular and 9.0 in the post season.
The 6-foot-11 player said he was just looking for the best deal out there, and did not rule out a return to the Denver Nuggets next season. Nene spoke of his loyalty for the Nuggets and had earlier suggested he could see out his
career at the Denver franchise,
“I’ve been here for nine years,” Nene, 28, said in early May. “If that doesn’t work how you want it, you need to sit down and evaluate everything and see what you can do.”
A principal reason behind Nene’s decision is his desire to be able to compete for the NBA World Championship, something the Nuggets are unlikely to do after their midseason loss of all star Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks.
Still there could be a case for Nene to stay. He was drafted 7th overall back in 2002 by the New York Knicks but was traded immediately to the Denver Nuggets. Nene has played with the Nuggets since then and the affection
he has towards the club could weigh in on his final decision.
Also, it is hard to think of a team perfect for Nene in the current scenario. Nene is one of the best centres in the league which has a scarcity of quality big guys. Tyson Chandler showed in the playoffs how much of an asset a
strong centre can be; therefore Nene is likely to attract a large contract.
However the teams in a position to offer such a large contract are not the ones currently in a position to challenge for the NBA World title. Which means Nene cannot have it both ways. Either he will have to forego a large contract
in order to sign for a team like the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat and compete, or he can get a large pay check and play for less ambitious outfits like the Sacramento Kings.
In the end, the Nuggets, who have a talented squad that made the playoffs last time out and cap space to offer Nene a big contract, could prove to be his best bet.
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