Troy Renck: For Spencer Haywood? Definitely. For Spencer Tracy? Sure. But Spencer Jones? Really? Few have been as bullish about the forward as I have, but the Nuggets’ decision to match Oklahoma City’s two-year, $12-million offer sheet and increase their luxury tax penalty by $32 million came as a shock Sunday night. As it stands, the Nuggets are the only NBA team in the apron, which was the working title for Dante Alighieri’s poem before he changed it to “Inferno.” Did Denver do the right thing by retaining Jones?

Sean Keeler: Damned if you match, damned if you don’t. At least the Nuggets have moved their fan base out of “limbo,” Dante’s first circle of Hell. Unfortunately, they’ve landed the franchise in the circle marked “gluttony” by becoming the only NBA franchise, as of Monday, to venture into the dreaded second apron. Thunder general manager Sam Presti was straight-up being cold, man. OKC put the Nuggets in a no-win scenario: Let Jones walk, and your fan base freaks out about you being cheap. Or match the offer sheet, have the fan base rage over the cap implications. Right thing? Let’s just say they did the least-crummy thing. Unfortunately, this is Hades we’re talking about, and every path going forward comes with layers of crummy built in.

Renck: The Nuggets are better with Jones. He is a strong defender, even if he did make two mistakes on overplays that cost the Nuggets games against the Thunder and Lakers. He is a capable 3-point shooter, draining nine of 13 in the opening-round loss to the Timberwolves. Losing him to OKC would have been horrible optics. But given the cost, this move doesn’t make much sense. If the Nuggets were willing to go into the second apron, even if only temporarily, why not re-sign Tim Hardaway Jr., the team’s best bench option and top 3-point shooter? Jones is only 25. He can be viewed as a long-term investment rather than a win-now move after playing the seventh-most minutes last season. So, there are subtle differences. But it sure feels like OKC GM Sam Presti put them in a pretzel, leading them to pay a Michelin restaurant price for a drive-thru meal.

Keeler: The other problem is that the Nuggets, at least in part, did this to themselves. The current CBA doesn’t want teams to keep their rosters together, so what do the Nuggets keep doing? Spending through the nose in order to keep as many of the ’23 champions together for as long as possible. The Jamal Murray contract ($50.1 million next season; $53.8 million in ’27-28) makes him practically unmovable. The Aaron Gordon contract ($31.9 million next season; $34.5 million the following year) is hamstrung by AG’s hamstrings. The Christian Braun contract ($21.6 million next season; $23.3 million the year after that) shot Peyton Watson’s asking price through the roof. The Zeke Nnaji contract ($7.5 million each of the next two seasons) is insanity.

Renck: The Nuggets have never finished the season in the apron. Besides the hefty tax bill, their first-round draft pick in 2034 would become frozen. They can avoid this by unloading salaries during the year, but what does it mean for Watson, their top restricted free agent? If keeping Jones in any way prevents the Nuggets from bringing back Watson, then this offseason is a disaster. The Bucks and Clippers could extend an offer sheet, and agent Rich Paul is reportedly seeking roughly $28 million per season for his client. Are we back to where we started? That the Nuggets will trade Cam Johnson to keep Watson, a younger version of the veteran? Without a deal, if the Nuggets sign him, the tax bill goes up. When it comes to the apron, heed Dante’s words: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

Keeler: As long as they’re keeping Jokic and Murray together, as long as AG’s health is a coin flip, the Nuggets need people who can actually guard people. And young, athletic players who can actually guard people. Jones ticks that box. Watson ticks that box. Johnson sort of ticks that box. If you want to make a statement to Nikola Jokic, keep everybody. I just have a hard time seeing the Kroenkes picking up that many Michelin checks at once — let alone the tips.

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