The Nuggets let the clock run out on DaRon Holmes’ 2027/28 rookie-scale option, a move that means the 2024 first-round pick is set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer instead of locking in a guaranteed $5,547,137 salary for ’27/28.
Denver traded up for Holmes in the 2024 draft, sending out three second-round picks to move from No. 28 to No. 22 and grab the former Dayton forward. But his Denver timeline took a hard turn almost immediately when he tore his Achilles in a Summer League game just weeks later.
That injury cost Holmes his entire rookie season. When he finally got back on the floor in 2025/26, the role never really materialized.
He played in just 25 games for the Nuggets, averaging 3.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per night. This fall hasn’t brought much of a bump either, with Holmes totaling only five minutes across two regular-season games.
He did show well in the G League last season, putting up 20.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 36.0 minutes per game for the Grand Rapids Gold. Even so, the combination of his limited NBA usage, the rise of rookie forward Trevon Brazile, and Denver’s cap situation made the decision pretty straightforward. The Nuggets are the only team currently operating over the second apron and are projected to keep carrying a heavy payroll.
If Holmes stays on the roster and isn’t waived this season, Denver will still hold his Bird rights next summer. But the team won’t be able to offer him a starting salary above the amount of the option it declined. If he’s traded during the season, that same restriction would follow him to his new team, though it would not affect outside suitors.
With Holmes’ option now resolved, all 59 players who entered the 2026/27 NBA league year with ’27/28 team options on rookie-scale deals have had their situations settled.
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