Denver Nuggets Commit Highway Robbery, Sign DeMar DeRozan for $3.9 Million

DeMar DeRozan signing a contract for $3.9 million sounds like a typo that is going to get an intern fired. But according to ESPN's Shams Charania, the six-time All-Star has officially agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets at that exact bargain-bin price.

In modern NBA economics, $3.9 million is what you pay a guy to aggressively high-five the starting point guard during timeouts. Instead, Denver is getting a certified professional scorer for the price of a backup long snapper.

"ESPN's Shams Charania reported the agreement, noting the one-year, $3.9 million terms."

The move comes right after the Sacramento Kings decided to waive DeRozan, instantly making him the most overqualified player on the free-agent market.

Even at this stage of his career, DeRozan is still putting up 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. He dealt with a minor hamstring issue back in April, but when healthy, he remains one of the most lethal mid-range operators in the sport.

Denver reportedly beat out the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers for his services. You can practically hear the collective groan from the rest of the Western Conference realizing the Nuggets just added a clutch-time bucket-getter for pocket change.

Adding a guy who can create his own shot when the offense bogs down is a massive luxury for a team already built to win a title. If you are holding a futures ticket on the Nuggets, this is exactly the kind of late-summer heist you want to see.

Now the only question is how quickly DeRozan can adjust to the Denver offensive system. If he figures out the spacing, the Nuggets just committed highway robbery.