The Denver Nuggets head into training camp with a reshaped bench, a few smart bargains, and one painful loss that still hangs over the summer.
For all the movement around the roster, the starting five stayed intact. It’s the second unit that looks almost unrecognizable now, and that’s where the real story of Denver’s offseason lives. The front office spent the summer trying to balance financial pressure with roster repair, and the result was a mixed bag.
The biggest swing came with Peyton Watson, whose restricted free agency became the defining issue of the summer. The 23-year-old wing put together a breakout 2025-26 season, but Denver and Watson could not bridge the gap on a new deal. The Nuggets ultimately worked out a sign-and-trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, sending him out for a first-round pick and a second-round pick.
It was the move that immediately drew the loudest reaction from fans. Losing Watson because the team was unwilling to pay more money was a hard sell, even if the return included an unprotected 2031 first-round pick. Denver clearly felt the financial squeeze, and the front office chose flexibility over keeping a versatile two-way player who had become a real part of the rotation.
That loss was followed by one of the clearest attempts to patch the hole. Denver brought in six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, a 37-year-old scorer who still knows how to bend a defense and get buckets when the offense needs a lifeline.
With Watson gone and Sixth Man of the Year finalist Tim Hardaway Jr. also out the door, the Nuggets needed someone who could stabilize the bench and carry some scoring load. DeRozan has not come off the bench in 16 years, but that is the role Denver needs him to embrace.
On a veteran minimum deal, it is easy to see why this is being treated as one of the team’s best moves of the summer. If DeRozan can handle bench scoring and some playmaking, the Nuggets may have found the kind of low-cost answer they were searching for.
Another minimum-salary addition could end up mattering just as much. Marvin Bagley III signed with Denver after a strong 2025-26 season with the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks, and the Nuggets are hoping that momentum carries over. The 27-year-old never became the player many expected when he was drafted second overall, but he is trying to rebuild his career, and Denver is betting on that revival continuing.
The need was obvious. The Nuggets wanted more help up front, and Bagley III gives them options.
He may not be the defensive anchor some fans had in mind, but he offers more than a simple fill-in. He can back up Nikola Jokic at center or slide next to him at power forward, which gives Denver a useful bit of flexibility.
Keeping Spencer Jones also mattered. The Nuggets nearly lost him when the Oklahoma City Thunder put a two-year, $12 million offer sheet in front of the restricted free agent, but Denver matched it and kept him in the fold. Jones started last season on a two-way deal before carving out a role while filling in for an injured Aaron Gordon, and the Nuggets saw enough to make sure he stayed.
That contract works out to $6 million per year, which is a reasonable price for a player who defends and hits open threes. Denver did not have to keep him, especially with Alpha Diallo and Trevon Brazile around to help cover some of the same territory, but the team clearly valued Jones’ steadiness.
Still, the offseason comes with real concerns. Watson and Hardaway Jr. are gone, and there is no guarantee DeRozan fixes the bench problems on his own. The Nuggets still have questions on defense and in the backcourt, and those issues were not meaningfully solved this summer.
There is also the financial reality Denver spent the whole offseason trying to manage. The move away from Watson was tied to saving money, but the Nuggets are still above the second apron. That leaves them in a tricky spot, because they are still trying to trim costs while also needing to improve the roster during the season.
That tension matters even more because there are doubts about whether this group is good enough to chase a championship in 2027. And with Nikola Jokic still not committed long-term through an extension, next summer could bring even more uncertainty.
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For Denver, that kind of roster casualty is worth watching closely. If Nembhard clears waivers, he could draw interest from teams searching for backcourt depth, and the Nuggets are among the clubs mentioned in that conversation as they monitor the market for low-cost additions. Charlotte has already made a habit of reshaping its roster, including the earlier LaMelo Ball trade to Minnesota, so the possibility of another move down the line is very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Move On From Keon Johnson And Raise An Immediate Question
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Among the clubs that could at least take a look is Denver, where roster flexibility always matters and any extra wing depth tends to draw attention. Johnsons case is built around his energy and the possibility that a team could still see room for development, but for now his next stop remains unsettled as interested teams sort through their options. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Face A Telling Decision On Their Young Wing's Future
Denvers roster decisions are getting harder, and the next one on the board involves a young wing whose future is tied to both performance and payroll. With so much of the Nuggets cap already spoken for by large contracts, the front office has little flexibility to hand out another long-term deal just yet, even to a player it clearly has reasons to keep tabs on.
The timing matters because this is the only player on the roster eligible for a rookie-scale extension before the 2026-27 season, which gives the Nuggets a narrow window to weigh potential against finances. If his play takes another step and the teams salary-cap picture loosens down the road, a new contract could come back into focus, but for now the organization seems to be approaching the situation with patience rather than urgency. [Read more 🡒]