BOSTON — It’s probably fair to say this was the most eventful Nuggets road trip of the 2020s. It started with seven lead changes in the last 1:06 of a frustrating and controversial loss in Orlando. It spiraled into a brief panic when Nikola Jokic crumpled to the ground holding his left knee in M iami, only for the results of his MRI — a bone bruise and an estimated recovery timeline of at least four weeks — to be met with a relative sigh of relief. It showcased the Nuggets’ resilience when they defeated Toronto in their first game without Jokic and three other starters, lost their backup center to a calf injury in the process, then came within three minutes of another upset in Cleveland. It was highlighted by perhaps the most backward back-to-back in franchise history: a botched attempt at going all in on the first game by playing Jamal Murray 40 minutes and debuting Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun after injuries, followed by a stunning overtime triumph in Philadelphia with seven rotation players out. It involved three games that came down to the last possession and one miraculous buzzer-beater that didn’t count. It covered 5,711 miles of air travel. It was punctuated by multiple flight delays and one shootaround cancellation while the team was en route to an arena. Boston traffic was too gnarly on Wednesday, so the bus turned around. It ended with a 3-4 record, not bad under the circumstances. Now, as the Nuggets regroup with two home games this weekend, here’s the latest buzz we heard on the road surrounding Jokic’s injury, which altered the dynamic of Denver’s season. Why haven’t Nuggets added center depth with a 10-day contract? Monday happened to be the first day teams with an open roster spot were allowed to sign a player to a 10-day contract. The Nuggets are one of 13 teams with an available spot, and they had lost both of their centers in 48 hours a week earlier, leaving DaRon Holmes II — who’s listed as 6-foot-9 — making his first career starts as the next man up. One problem: 10-day contracts count against the salary cap, and the Nuggets are already over the luxury tax by a razor-thin margin of about $400,000 — close enough that shedding a bit of salary is considered a priority by team ownership rather than adding more, league sources told The Denver Post. For that reason, those sources believe the Nuggets are unlikely to sign anyone to a 10-day contract as they navigate the injuries to Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas. When David Adelman was asked about the 10-day market recently in Cleveland, the first-year coach said it would be “way out of line” for him to get into specifics. He did go on to say the Nuggets could explore those options “if this continues,” but “right now, we are who we are.” Depending on how dire their size disadvantage looks over the next few games, perhaps their perspective could change, though it seems unlikely. In their first three contests without Jokic and Valanciunas, they were doubled up on offensive rebounds (40-20), outscored 61-30 on second-chance points and outrebounded overall by 38. It took an impressive gang rebounding effort to pull off a one-point win in Philly, and even there, the margin on the glass favored the 76ers by four. The Nuggets have a 7-foot-2 center on their G League roster in Grand Rapids, but they can’t call up a player from the Gold unless he is signed to either a 10-day or two-way contract. Two-way contracts don’t count against the salary cap, but Brown is ineligible to sign one because his NBA service time exceeds the maximum allowable for two-way players. That leaves the Nuggets out of options to get him on the floor unless they decide they’re willing to go further into the luxury tax. The trade deadline This all dovetails into a larger trade deadline conversation. The Nuggets’ goals could be two-fold ahead of the Feb. 5 cutoff. First, there’s their aforementioned tax situation. There’s also a ticking clock on Spencer Jones, who has been integral to their survival of the injury bug this season, starting more than half of their games on a two-way contract. Two-ways can be active on the NBA roster for a maximum of 50 regular-season games before they’re no longer eligible to play. Jones has been needed at the NBA level all year. Denver’s 50th game is Jan. 30 against the Clippers, less than a week before the trade deadline. If the Nuggets convert him to a standard contract, they’ll owe him a prorated salary against the cap that’ll depend on how much time remains in the season, allowing him to continue playing and even to suit up for the playoffs. This is notable, as teams can carry 13 players on their 15-man roster for up to two consecutive weeks. Then they must fill the 14th spot. The Nuggets won’t be allowed to trade a player just to shed salary unless they subsequently add another player, either via said trade or by signing someone, such as Jones. With that in mind, it’s widely expected by league sources that their ideal outcome would be to both slip under the luxury tax and sign Jones. Basically, the cap hit subtracted would have to be $400,000 more than the cap hit added — a tricky needle to thread for a team that also believes it can compete for the championship and doesn’t want to hurt those chances. Messing around with an elite roster over a tax bill can be highly risky when your franchise player hasn’t yet signed a contract extension that he was first eligible to sign last year, even if he has signaled that he plans to next summer. Related Articles Zeke Nnaji reverses trend of poor play at center on ‘timely’ Nuggets road trip Nuggets finish marathon road trip with gutsy win at Celtics, led by Jamal Murray’s 17 assists Inside the Nuggets’ most improbable win in years: ‘I was giving MVPs buckets out there’ Michael Porter Jr. talks expanded role with Brooklyn Nets since trade from Nuggets Nuggets stun 76ers in overtime without entire starting lineup, Bruce Brown scores game-winner on Embiid goal tend Nikola Jokic’s injury recovery In the meantime, the Nuggets have been pleasantly surprised by Jokic’s progress rehabbing from his knee injury, team sources told the Post. One source described him as a “warrior” in his commitment to the recovery process. Denver doesn’t want to rush him back, but a return before the end of January hasn’t been ruled out. It also bears noting that Jokic is famously stubborn about wanting to play when he feels that he can. The star center stayed on the road after his injury and was quickly able to walk around without needing any support. He was on Denver’s sideline during the improbable win over Philadelphia, barking suggestions to the players on the floor before key possessions. “I think for us, and you guys don’t see it behind the scenes: The random time there isn’t a camera or microphone, he is a leader, man,” Adelman said. “He’s consistent with his rehab, consistent with watching film with the guys. Brings an opinion. And you listen to that opinion. When you have a guy that’s a basketball savant, that has seen it, done it, that’s important to our team. … To have him around is important for the guys.” Want more Nuggets news? 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