For a reasonable amount of time this summer, it appeared that Ryan Nembhard - the 23-year-old guard who spent last season with the Dallas Mavericks - would be on the Atlanta Hawks' opening night roster.
Coming off of a quietly impressive offensive season, Nembhard could've made sense as Atlanta's third point guard. It never hurts to have some depth.
Having too much talent, however, was a real problem Atlanta ran into this offseason. They had to trim down their roster, one way or another, and Nembhard was a casualty.
Now, he enters a fascinating new opportunity, where he might get a chance to contribute in a way he likely wouldn't have, had he stayed with the Hawks.
The Nuggets are getting up there in age; Nembhard is not
Youth is plentiful in the modern NBA, but some teams are held back by poor front office decisions.
It's why not everyone goes the OKC route - developing a young core, together, into a contender. Not everyone can. The actual talent on the roster matters.
Denver has a lot of talent, there's no doubt about it. What they have less of, compared to many other teams in the competitive Western Conference, are fresh legs. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray - their two franchise cornerstones - aren't getting any younger.
Not to overreact to a two-way signing, but Ryan Nembhard is now in a place where he can continue displaying his offensive excellence. All he needs is that opportunity. It could be better for him to not compete with an already-established young core for minutes.
If he stayed in Atlanta, not only would he have been behind CJ McCollum and Kingston Flemings in the rotation, but he would've been prioritized less than most of their forward depth, too. The Hawks play positionless.
If midseason injury woes transpire in Denver, Nembhard is a call away
On a two-way, he'll spend time this upcoming season with both the main squad and their G League affiliate.
A deal like that, however, can easily be converted if they see fit.
If any of their guards miss some time, which is incredibly likely, he could slide into the rotation and potentially never leave.
If it happened in Atlanta, though, he would've been sent right back to the bench upon McCollum or Flemings returning.
Not that Nembhard is going to develop into some superstar, but he gives Denver something they've clearly been lacking in the years since their last championship: a bench spark.
Being moved multiple times in an offseason could age as a blessing in disguise for him.
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