NBA Rumors: Will Barton, Nuggets Reportedly Discussing Contract Extension

The Denver Nuggets and Will Barton are negotiating terms of a contract extension, ESPN.com's Chris Haynes reported Monday.

Haynes noted the two sides have until June 30 to reach an agreement, so plenty of time remains for them to hammer out the fine details. Barton will make a little over $3.5 million this year before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Haynes reported in April that Barton planned to test the market in free agency next summer.

Barton has been a nice bargain for Denver over the past two seasons after signing a three-year, $11 million contract with the team in July 2015. Barton joined the team in February 2015 as part of the trade sending Arron Afflalo to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Between 2015-16 and 2016-17, he averaged 17.7 points per 36 minutes and shot 35.5 percent from beyond the arc, according to Basketball Reference.

Locking up Barton now would make sense for Denver. There's no telling how high his value could climb on the open market. Tony Snell signed a four-year, $46 million deal to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will receive $18 million from the Los Angeles Lakers next year. In July 2016, Kent Bazemore got $70 million over four years from the Atlanta Hawks.

Even judging Barton harshly, he's at least the equal of Bazemore and Caldwell-Pope, and if Snell can earn an average of $10 million-plus, then that should be the baseline for Barton's next contract.

Barton will turn 27 in January, so his earning power may never be higher. Because of that, he almost certainly won't give the Nuggets a hometown discount. But the alternative is letting Barton become a free agent, at which point his price could climb far higher than it is now.

Tim Hardaway's $71 million offer sheet from the New York Knicks is a perfect example of that.