The Denver Nuggets have spent most of the offseason under a cloud, boxed in by the NBA’s second apron and forced to make every move count. They were limited to minimum contracts, started things off by re-signing Tyus Jones when other options were still on the table, and even had to trade budding star Peyton Watson to cut money and avoid luxury tax penalties.
But with training camp just a week away, the DeMar DeRozan addition has a chance to change the conversation.
That’s because DeRozan brings something the Nuggets can use right away: scoring, shot creation and real late-game reliability. The skepticism around the move has been easy to understand, especially with questions about defense and fit.
Still, if DeRozan had been the first or second free agent Denver landed instead of Jones, the reaction would probably look very different. In that scenario, the talk would likely center on the value of adding one of the most durable scorers of the last 25 years.
Denver needed defense, yes, but DeRozan still looks like a clear upgrade over Bruce Brown in the big picture. Brown wasn’t close to the player he was during the Nuggets’ championship run, and DeRozan’s scoring punch could more than offset that tradeoff if his defense doesn’t crater. The source material pegs that as an 8-10 point scoring bump, and that kind of production matters.
He also fills in the kind of offensive role Tim Hardaway Jr. handled as a sixth man. Beyond that, DeRozan gives Denver lineup flexibility, with the ability to play the two, the three, or even slide into a small-ball four role. His basketball IQ should fit naturally next to Nikola Jokic, and Jokic will almost certainly find ways to make the most of him.
There’s another layer here too. DeRozan brings veteran presence and a strong work ethic, traits that could make an impression on the Nuggets’ younger players, including DaRon Holmes II and Zeke Nnaji.
And when games tighten up, DeRozan has been one of the league’s best clutch performers over the last four seasons. That matters for a team that won 54 games last season despite all the injuries it dealt with. If DeRozan helps Denver steal a couple more wins, the Nuggets could end up in the 57-59 win range this season.
That’s the case for why this move could reshape how the offseason is remembered. If DeRozan delivers in 2026-27, the rest of the summer won’t feel nearly as sour.
In Other News...
Cam Whitmore Could Change How Nuggets Fans View The Peyton Watson Trade
The Peyton Watson trade left plenty of Nuggets fans uneasy, since Watson still looked like the kind of young, homegrown piece Denver could have built around for years. But the story has taken an unexpected turn with Cam Whitmore, another former first-round pick who was part of the larger deal and now gives the Nuggets a fresh developmental swing. Whitmore arrives on a two-way contract, which keeps the risk low while giving Denver a chance to see whether his talent can translate into real help down the line.
For a team that has had to balance contending right now with keeping an eye on the future, that matters. Whitmore is still more projection than certainty, and no one is pretending his presence makes up for what fans felt they lost when Watson moved on. Still, if he develops into a useful rotation player, the trade will look a lot less painful in hindsight, and Nuggets supporters may end up viewing the whole sequence a little differently. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Camp Could Decide Two Crucial Bench Roles
Denver enters training camp with the same basic shape that carried it into contention, but the real intrigue is on the second unit. The starting group is mostly set, which only makes the bench competition more important for a team that knows it needs more reliable depth to keep its title hopes on track.
Lonnie Walker IV is part of that fight after signing a non-guaranteed deal, while DaRon Holmes is trying to turn a secure roster place into a meaningful rotation role after returning from injury. Both have a clear path to matter if camp goes well, and for Denver, those battles could end up shaping not just the final roster, but how workable the bench looks when the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Enter A Make-Or-Break Season For Key Rotation Pieces
The Nuggets are heading into a season that feels especially consequential for the middle of the rotation, with several familiar names now carrying extra weight beyond the usual nightly production. Julian Strawther, Cameron Johnson and Aaron Gordon are all entering the final year of their contracts, which gives Denvers front office a chance to sort through not just fit and performance, but the longer-term shape of the roster as the team looks to rebound from recent playoff exits.
For some of those players, the stakes are different but equally real. Strawther needs to show he can keep carving out a role, while Johnson arrives with the sort of profile that can make teams think hard about value and flexibility. Gordon, meanwhile, remains one of the most important pieces on the roster, but his standing could hinge on whether he can stay on the court after a season limited to 36 games, leaving Denver with another important decision to monitor as the year unfolds. [Read more 🡒]