The Denver Nuggets may have filled out their 2026-27 roster by landing DeMar DeRozan, but one spot still sits open, and the timing of Brandon Williams’ new deal with the Golden State Warriors makes the missed opportunity look sharper.
Williams agreed to a one-year contract worth $2.6 million on Tuesday, a bargain that instantly stands out around the league. Denver had interest in him during free agency, according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Luca Evans, but the deal never got over the line.
"Williams previously received interest from the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets on the open market, as [former coach Tony] Spino and [agent Derek] Lafayette told the Chronicle. But any movement over a deal lagged, and Williams at one point began to crack jokes about going to play overseas," Evans wrote.
Also in here on #Warriors' Brandon Williams add @sfchronicle: --#Nuggets + #Celtics reached out on Williams at one point in FA, per multiple ppl--Has been working on jumper daily in offseason, revamping mechanics/eliminating guide hand from shothttps://t.co/E9exVCECy8
For Denver, the appeal is obvious. Williams is coming off the best season of his career with the Dallas Mavericks, and he was productive in a limited role while the team battled injuries. He averaged 13.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 0.9 steals in 22.2 minutes per game.
That production came with a style that fits a lot of teams. Williams attacked downhill, handled the ball well, finished above average at the rim, and generally gave Dallas a real spark as a playmaker. He looks like the kind of backup point guard plenty of teams would want in the building.
Right now, the Nuggets’ point guard group includes Jamal Murray, Tyus Jones, and two-way KJ Simpson. Jones can handle the ball and takes care of it, but Denver still doesn’t have the kind of scoring punch Williams would have brought off the bench.
That matters even more because the Nuggets seem unlikely to use their 15th roster spot, given their luxury tax situation and the push to trim payroll and get below the second apron. The DeRozan addition changes the equation somewhat, since he can create and score, but the guard depth still looks thin.
At shooting guard, Denver has Christian Braun and Julian Strawther under contract, with Lonnie Walker IV on a training camp deal. Even with DeRozan in the mix, the backcourt remains a spot that could become an issue if the reserve guard play doesn’t hold up.
The Nuggets are still in workable shape, but Williams would have been a useful addition. If they don’t find another point guard option, this could be one of those decisions they end up circling back to later.
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The anxiety around those moves only grows because the league is already circling. Los Angeles has been tied to Jokic interest, and the idea of a sign-and-trade gives the whole situation a more concrete shape than a simple rumor mill headline. For Nuggets fans, the uneasy part is obvious: every cost-cutting decision now feels like part of a much bigger conversation about whether Denver can keep its star in place long enough to avoid an offseason crisis. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger question is what Denver does with its final openings, especially with payroll still an obvious factor in every decision. The Nuggets are weighing a couple of different paths for those spots, and the names still in the mix suggest the team is trying to balance immediate help with long-term flexibility. Even this early in the process, the roster math is doing as much work as the on-court fit, and the next move could say a lot about how aggressively Denver wants to keep this group together. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Nuggets, the real issue is less about the present than the timeline attached to Jokics next decision. Fischers update suggests rival front offices are paying close attention to how Denvers long-term picture develops, because the next extension conversation could carry major consequences if the teams fortunes dip again. Even in a league full of moving parts, Jokics contract path is one of the few things that can alter how other contenders plan around Denver. [Read more 🡒]