The Broncos opened training camp on July 29, 2026, and with it came a look at a new practice facility that instantly set a high bar in Denver. The team called it “A world-class training center that's distinctly Colorado and maximizes the player experience. 👏 pic.twitter.com/WzqygAqxQF”
For the Nuggets, that unveiling only sharpened the contrast. Denver’s NBA team is still practicing at Ball Arena in what amounts to a longtime makeshift setup, the same space it has used for the past 26 years since the arena opened. The current arrangement is being upgraded, but it remains far from the kind of modern facility the Broncos just showed off.
That gap has become part of the conversation around Kroenke Sports Entertainment, with critics pointing to the lack of a new practice home as another example of the group’s tight spending. Michael Porter Jr. even brought it up last summer after he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, a team that has two courts available for practice.
The Nuggets, by comparison, have just one court. Their own upgrade will include an observation deck for fans to watch practices, at a cost of $440,000.
The issue goes beyond appearances. A training facility is one of the biggest amenities teams can offer, and players have made clear how much that matters. In The Athletic’s anonymous end-of-season player poll, player comforts - including a new facility - ranked at the top when players were asked what “the smartest teams spend money on, beyond player contracts,” by a wide margin.
It matters for the roster Denver already has, too. Nikola Jokic, the best basketball player in the world, has had to build his game in the side gym.
Maybe that cramped space helped his passing. Probably not.
Team president Josh Kroenke has said for years that a proper practice facility has been in the works, but the project has kept getting slowed down by “zoning efforts.” Maybe the Broncos’ path can offer a blueprint. Then again, that might also mean the Nuggets would have to spend real money on it.
For now, the Broncos have the shiny new standard in town. And the Nuggets are still waiting on theirs.
In Other News...
Nets May Be Winning That Nuggets Trade More Than Anyone Expected
The Michael Porter Jr.-for-Cam Johnson swap looked straightforward when Denver sent Porter and a 2032 first-round pick to Brooklyn, but the deal has taken on a different shape since then. Porter has played better and restored some of the value that once made him such a difficult player to move, which only sharpens the debate around what the Nuggets gave up and how much they needed the financial relief that came with the trade.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, is sitting on a future Denver pick that could become far more interesting if the Nuggets run into the kind of roster and cap pressure that tends to linger around contenders. With salary concerns already hanging over the franchise and Nikola Jokis contract situation still a major backdrop, the Nets may end up holding the cleaner long-term side of the transaction even if the immediate basketball exchange seemed aimed at helping Denver. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Title Core Suddenly Linked To A Massive Kevin Durant Twist
Kevin Durants next move is already being treated like one of the leagues biggest dominoes, and the ripple effects reach all the way back to Denver. With Houston still weighing its options after landing Durant, the possibility of a larger trade framework has put familiar names back into circulation, including Michael Porter Jr., whose championship pedigree still carries obvious value around the league.
The intrigue only grows because this is no simple one-team negotiation. Brooklyn has been mentioned as a possible third-party helper in the kind of deal that could reshape the Rockets roster and alter the balance of the Eastern Conference, while Durants reported interest in a fresh partnership elsewhere adds another layer to the speculation. For the Nuggets, it is another reminder that even after a title run, their core pieces can keep surfacing in conversations tied to the NBAs biggest stars. [Read more 🡒]