Former Phoenix Suns assistant general manager David Griffin turned down the Denver Nuggets' offer to be their next general manager, according to sources, and the team is expected to pursue Masai Ujiri, director of global scouting for the Toronto Raptors.
Ujiri spent four years as the Nuggets' director of international scouting before joining the Raptors.
Griffin turned down the offer, a league source said, in part because it was nowhere near $1 million a year, the median salary for recently hired GMs such as the Cleveland Cavaliers' Chris Grant, the New Orleans Hornets' Dell Demps and the Portland Trail Blazers' Rich Cho.
The authority of the position is also uncertain. Josh Kroenke, son of owner Stan Kroenke, and Stan's adviser, Bret Bearup, are expected to be heavily involved. Despite not having a GM in place, the source said the Nuggets have been exploring what they might be able to get for All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, who has not signed the team's three-year, $65 million extension offer and could become a free agent next summer.
Another league source said Anthony, "in his heart," would like to stay in Denver but has lost faith in the team's direction.
Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine.