Wilson Chandler Injury Update: Nuggets SG to Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

Denver Nuggets swingman Wilson Chandler will miss the remainder of the 2015-16 season because of a labral tear in his right hip that requires surgery, the team announced Wednesday. 

“I’m incredibly disappointed at this point, I put in so much work over the summer to make myself a better player,” Chandler said. “I was really looking forward to this year, being out there battling with my teammates, being a part of the change. I dedicated my whole summer to self-improvement and all I had on my mind this offseason and preseason was ‘this was my year, I was going to help this team win.’ So this is very frustrating and heartbreaking to say the least. I just want to say thank you to the whole organization for supporting me at a time like this.”    

Chandler, 28, has not appeared in a game this season because of the injury. He initially categorized it as "not really serious" when meeting with reporters in October, but the situation grew progressively worse. The Nuggets expect Chandler back for the 2016-17 season.

“While we are extremely disappointed by the news, we are confident that Wilson will be at full strength to start next season. Wilson is one of the league’s elite workers and we are going to be there for him during this entire process,” general manager Tim Connelly said in a statement.

Vic Lombardi of CBS4 highlighted the team's disappointment:

From a timing perspective, Chandler has to feel a little lucky. He was supposed to be heading into the final year of his contract, but a July extension will keep him paid in the eight figures through 2018-19.

The extension, a rarity under the new collective bargaining agreement, served two purposes at the time. It allowed the Nuggets to accelerate some money on Chandler's 2015-16 cap hold to lessen the long-term blow of the deal and also bought them a nice trade chip.   

A healthy Chandler making less than $12 million annually would be a steal when the cap starts ballooning this summer. With the Nuggets headed nowhere in a mass of lottery-bound teams out West, Chandler might have fetched a first-round pick and a young player from a contender. As it stands, Chandler will likely be in a Nuggets uniform well into next season.

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