The Denver Nuggets have suddenly found themselves in the LeBron James conversation, and that changes the feel of their offseason in a hurry.
What looked like a straightforward plan to mostly run it back now comes with a far more ambitious possibility: LeBron on a minimum contract, teaming up with Nikola Jokic in Denver. That kind of pairing would be hard to turn away from, and the Nuggets have at least a real shot at making it happen.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that LeBron is likely open to taking a minimum deal because winning is the priority.
"He's (LeBron) not going to make his decision just based on money. It means that all these teams, whether you have the minimum contract to give him, whether you have the exception to give him, or salary cap space, you're going to be involved."
That wasn’t the only encouraging sign for Denver. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also mentioned the Nuggets as an "outlier" team in the chase.
"I have long believed that if there was an outlier team for LeBron, if he was willing to take sort of, you know, some exception, it was Denver."
Windhorst also said LeBron is a close friend of Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke, which only adds to the possibility that Denver could have a real path here. If that connection matters, the Nuggets could be in position to make a serious pitch.
From a basketball standpoint, the fit is obvious. LeBron would give Denver another elite mind next to Jokic, and that alone is enough to make the idea compelling.
He would also address several offseason needs at once. The Nuggets wanted more athleticism, and LeBron provides that immediately.
They needed a bigger wing presence, and he brings that too. He also adds another ball-handler, which is no small thing.
His shooting still has plenty of value in this kind of setup. After hitting 41.0% from three in 2023-24, he dropped to 31.7% in what would now be his final season in Los Angeles. Playing alongside Jokic would likely create cleaner looks, and that matters.
Defense is the one area where LeBron doesn’t bring as much, but even there, the Nuggets could still come out ahead if you compare him to the free agent departure of Tim Hardaway Jr.
Denver is far from alone in the hunt, though. The Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, and Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to be among the main contenders for James next season, and Charania reported that as many as 12 teams have already contacted LeBron’s agent.
Still, if the Nuggets can get in the mix with the right pitch, they may have a very real chance to land one of the biggest names in the sport. And if that happens, Jokic might end up with the kind of teammate LeBron has been searching for.
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Los Angeles had loomed as one of the more obvious threats because of its cap flexibility, but that path has largely been eaten up by a busy summer of roster movement. The Lakers are not alone, either, as other teams with spending power have also committed their money to different targets. For the Nuggets, that does not close the book on Watsons free agency, but it does make the road to getting him back a little cleaner than it looked not long ago. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Suddenly Face A Franchise Changing Nikola Jokic Question
Nikola Jokic remains the central figure in everything the Nuggets are trying to build, and the latest chatter around his contract situation only reinforces how much of the franchises future runs through him. He is already established as the face of Denvers title window, but the business side of that relationship has become a topic the organization can no longer treat as routine.
The uncertainty now is less about what Jokic means to the Nuggets than when, and whether, the next major conversation happens on Denvers timeline or someone elses. If the situation ever shifts from extension talk to something more dramatic, the league would be watching closely, because a player of his caliber instantly changes the stakes for any team involved and could turn a quiet offseason into a much bigger story before long. [Read more 🡒]
This Nuggets Celtics Trade Idea Would Split Denver Fans Fast
Any offseason conversation that even brushes up against Jamal Murray is going to get Denver fans talking, and CBS Sports Sam Quinn stirred the pot with a Celtics-Nuggets trade idea that immediately falls into the category of interesting on paper, messy in reality. The appeal is obvious enough: if Boston is genuinely listening around the league this summer, it gives rival front offices a reason to at least imagine a blockbuster.
The problem is everything that comes after the imagination part. Quinn framed the concept as something theoretically possible but not practical right now, with too many obstacles standing in the way of a real deal. Browns massive contract only adds to the difficulty, which is why this kind of proposal lives more as a conversation starter than a transaction waiting to happen. [Read more 🡒]