The Denver Nuggets are among the teams pushing hardest to land Ryan Nembhard, the undrafted guard who was waived by the Charlotte Hornets after a rapid round of roster moves.
Charlotte’s recent shuffle included cutting players and making two trades as it tried to clean up its financial picture and trim down the roster. Nembhard, who had just been acquired, was the latest casualty of that process.
“Charlotte is finally waiving Ryan Nembhard as expected after agreeing earlier today to its Buddy Hield-for-Rob Dillingham swap, league sources say. As we've reported previously: Denver is prime among multiple teams hoping to sign Nembhard to a two-way deal IF he clears waivers," The Stein Line's Marc Stein wrote.
Nembhard’s path to this point has already been a winding one. The undrafted guard originally signed with the Dallas Mavericks before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks this summer. He then moved to Charlotte in last week’s deal that brought Buddy Hield to the Hornets.
“The Atlanta Hawks are trading Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash considerations to the Charlotte Hornets for Dorian Finney-Smith, the team announced on Tuesday. The Hornets are expected to waive Nembhard as part of the trade, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania," ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk wrote.
Once he cleared waivers on Tuesday evening, Nembhard became free to choose his next landing spot. Denver has emerged as a serious contender, with Stein noting the Nuggets and other teams are chasing him.
“As we’ve been reporting for several days, Nembhard has strong interest from Denver and some other yet-to-be-disclosed teams … many of whom would have to create an open two-way contract spot to sign him,” Stein posted.
The Nuggets have already added another player who was once a first-round pick in Cam Whitmore, who was waived this summer. Nembhard would fit right into that same under-the-radar lane, and his brief NBA run has already offered one eye-catching number: 23 assists in a game.
He’s an undersized guard, but he has shown a real feel for making the right read. In Denver, that kind of touch would stand out even more next to Nikola Jokic, where the ball can keep moving and the offense can hum. Nembhard also brings grit, and that sort of edge is part of what keeps a player alive in the fight for an NBA roster spot.
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