Alpha Diallo is coming home. The 29-year-old New York-born, Denver-raised wing, who went to West High School in Denver, played four years at Providence, went undrafted in 2020 and spent the next six seasons becoming one of the best defensive players in European basketball, signed a one-year, $1.4 million guaranteed deal with the Nuggets on Sunday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported.
Diallo won the EuroLeague Best Defender Award this past season with AS Monaco, leading the league in steals while averaging 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game on 50 percent shooting.
Monaco won three consecutive French league titles during his time there.
He is 6-foot-7 and has the wing length and defensive instincts to guard multiple positions.
The Nuggets need exactly what he brings. Denver ranked 21st in defensive rating last season and was upset in the first round by Minnesota despite Nikola Jokic winning his fourth MVP.
The Nuggets have been trying to address their defensive deficiencies all offseason and Diallo, at $1.4 million, a minimum-salary investment, is their first concrete answer.
For a championship-contending team, the value proposition is obvious: EuroLeague Defender of the Year, minimum contract, immediate contributor.
He starts his NBA career at 29 years old, playing in the city where he started playing basketball. Better late than never.