The Denver Nuggets’ place in ESPN’s latest three-year outlook doesn’t exactly scream confidence. ESPN slotted them 18th, a drop from 9th in the network’s previous near-term future rankings, and the reasons are pretty easy to see.
Denver has already taken a step back from its 2022-23 championship season, and last year’s playoff exit only sharpened the concern. Even as the No. 3 seed, the Nuggets were knocked out in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves’ backup guards in what was described as an embarrassingly bad defensive effort. Add in a rough offseason shaped by the team’s financial situation and thin draft capital, and the downward slide makes sense on the surface.
ESPN pointed to two big factors behind the fall: the roster isn’t what it used to be after Denver moved Michael Porter Jr. and Peyton Watson over the last two offseasons to cut salary, and the Nuggets are still stuck above the league’s second-apron penalty threshold. That cap situation has left them in a tight bind, and it helped drag them to 30th in ESPN’s “money” category.
Still, the picture is not quite as hopeless as the ranking suggests.
A lot depends on whether Denver’s front office can make the right calls from here, because there are some paths to improvement built into the books. NBA salary cap projections show a positive change of $2 million for 2027-28, which would give the Nuggets a little breathing room.
On top of that, they could waive and stretch Zeke Nnaji’s remaining $7.4 million, creating another $5 million in flexibility. They can also decline the team option on former first-round pick DaRon Holmes II, which would open up another $5.5 million.
Those are the kinds of moves the Nuggets should make if those players aren’t cracking the rotation anyway. Put it together, and Denver could free up more than $12 million this summer - enough to pursue two players better fit for the roster, or perhaps one player in the $9 million range and a veteran on the minimum, much like the team did with DeMar DeRozan for this upcoming season.
There’s also a little more trade ammunition in the mix now. Denver picked up the 2031 unprotected first-round pick in the Watson sign-and-trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is its only currently tradeable first-rounder. The Nuggets also added three second-round picks.
That doesn’t solve everything. But it does give the front office something to work with, and if it handles those opportunities well, Denver has a real chance to look better than ESPN’s 18th-place projection.
In Other News...
Nuggets Fans Have One Fair Frustration With The Ball Arena Upgrade
Ball Arena is getting a major facelift over the next two to three years, with a $135 million renovation aimed at modernizing the building and improving the fan experience. For Nuggets supporters, it is the kind of long-awaited investment that signals the franchise wants to keep pace with a changing NBA in a city that has fully embraced winning basketball.
Still, there is a familiar frustration attached to the project, because the biggest day-to-day piece of team infrastructure is not part of the plan. The Nuggets continue to work out of the same one-court gym they have used for years, and while Kroenke Sports Entertainment has poured resources into practice facilities for other franchises, Denvers own basketball and hockey teams are left waiting for an upgrade of their own. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Add Intriguing Wing With Something To Prove In Camp
Cam Whitmore is getting a fresh start in Denver, and the Nuggets used one of their final roster openings to add a wing who still carries plenty of upside. The former first-round pick is headed to the club on a two-way contract for the 2026-27 season, giving Denver another athletic option to evaluate while also preserving some roster flexibility as camp approaches.
Entering his fourth NBA season, Whitmore has already logged time with Houston and Washington and brings a rsum that includes 119 career games and an average of 10.5 points and 3.3 rebounds. For a Nuggets team that likes to keep its options open at the back end of the roster, this is the kind of low-risk addition that can become interesting quickly if a player arrives with something to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Just Took A Low-Risk Flier With Real Upside
The Nuggets have added another low-cost swing for the future, agreeing to a two-way contract with forward Cam Whitmore. A former first-round pick and the 20th overall selection in the 2023 NBA draft, Whitmore gives Denver a young player with a stronger pedigree than most typical two-way additions, which fits the sort of move contenders often make when they are looking for upside without sacrificing flexibility.
Whitmores path to Denver has already been a winding one, with a recent stop in Cleveland after being traded from Washington before getting waived. For the Nuggets, the appeal is obvious: one year, little risk and a chance to see whether a talented 20-year-old wing can carve out a role in their system, even if the early stages of that evaluation will come with a little more intrigue than certainty. [Read more 🡒]