The Denver Nuggets have signed 30-year old SF/PF Al Harrington to a 5-year, $34 million dollar deal. Harrington played in 72 games (15 starts) for the Knicks last season and he averaged 30.5 minutes, 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He has now played in 800 games (441 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 14.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Harrington has also shot 35.5% from three point range which is outstanding for a player his size. Look for Harrington to possibly be the starting power forward for the Nuggets until Kenyon Martin is ready to return to action. This was a good signing for the Nuggets.

25-year old forward Linas Kleiza has decided to leave Greece and come back to the United States to play in the NBA. The Toronto Raptors quickly jumped and offered Kleiza a 4-year, $20 million dollar contract. Because he’s a restricted free agent the Nuggets have 7 days to either match Kleiza’s offer or let him go to Toronto. Kleiza has played 4 years for the Nuggets appearing in 301 games (36 starts) in which he has averaged 19.0 minutes, 8.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. With Kenyon Martin gimpy right now I think the Nuggets should match the deal Kleiza got from the Raptors. Plus, it might make Carmelo Anthony happy.

UPDATE: (7/16/2010) - The Nuggets have decided to let Linas Kleiza play in Toronto.

The Denver Nuggets don’t want to be involved in a free agent circus like this summer in a year. With that in mind the Nuggets have offered Carmelo Anthony a 3-year, $65 million dollar deal. If Anthony doesn’t take the offer the Nuggets could trade him this summer. Chauncey Billups is also in the last year of his contract. If the Nuggets deal Anthony they might as well send Billups somewhere else too. Kenyon Martin is banged up right now so the Nuggets will likely be looking for a backup power forward who has the potential to start if Martin isn’t ready to go when the year starts. Guys like Anthony Tolliver, Drew Gooden, Matt Bonner, Craig Smith, Amir Johnson and James Singleton likely fit that mold. Look for this to be a very interesting summer in Denver all of a sudden.

The Nuggets have five unrestricted free agents this summer and they would likely want to keep a couple of them. Starting power forward Kenyon Martin has a early termination option in his contract but the free agent market is loaded with power forwards so I would think he wouldn’t opt out. Johan Petro, Malik Allen, Joey Graham and Anthony Carter are all bench players so there will be no rush to re-sign them. Petro and Graham are the most likely of this bunch for the Nuggets to want to bring back. Backup forward Linas Kleiza is a restricted free agent. He played overseas last season but the Nuggets would jump at the chance to bring him back if he wanted to play for them.

25-year old small forward Carmelo Anthony is elgible for free agency after the 2010-11 season and the Nuggets are trying to lock him up for a few more years so that he doesn’t hit the open market. It would be smart of the Nuggets to lock him up so that they don’t have to compete with the team’s that lose out in this summer’s free agent derby. Anthony played in 69 games (all starts) for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 38.2 minutes, 28.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He has now played 7 seasons for the Nuggets appearing in 514 games (all starts) in which he has averaged 36.5 minutes, 24.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Anthony is #8 in Nuggets’ history in games played (514), #9 in steals (591) and #3 in points scored (12,711). The Nuggets should do everything that they can to make Anthony happy and want to stay in town a few more years.