The Nuggets have spent months trying to wriggle out from under the second apron, and by late August they still hadn’t found a clean escape. In the process, they ended up right back where they started in one key way: largely keeping the same roster from last season while giving up on the idea of preserving Peyton Watson.
Denver had paths to avoid this spot. It could have moved players earlier, or let someone else leave.
Instead, the situation tightened. Spencer Jones signed an offer sheet with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver matched it, and that kept the Nuggets in the apron.
After that, Watson was sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a multi-team deal for a handful of picks.
Now the Nuggets are reportedly showing interest in DeMar DeRozan, the veteran forward who was waived by the Sacramento Kings over the summer. On paper, the fit sounds more like a budget move than a swing for a title.
DeRozan, at this stage of his career, doesn’t look like the kind of player who changes a contender’s ceiling. If Denver is circling him, the logic seems simple: he’d be inexpensive.
But this is not the moment for Denver to chase cheap.
The Nuggets have veterans who are already in their prime or moving past it, and they also have young players who have shown they can help when they get real minutes. In a cap mess like this, the smart play is to commit.
Not halfway. Not with one foot on the gas and one on the brakes.
That’s why the Watson situation stings. He was the kind of young piece a team hopes becomes something bigger down the line.
Instead, Denver may end up with nothing to show for him. And if the Nuggets stumble again in the first round of the playoffs, the questions get louder fast: does the front office finally tear it down and rebuild?
If that moment comes, who on this roster is young enough and reliable enough to carry through the next version?
The argument here is straightforward. Denver would have been better off keeping Watson and paying what he wanted if the championship window is still open. With the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs standing in the way, the rest of the West may be waiting for another day.
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Lakers Face A Luka Fit Debate Over One Young Scorer
With the Nuggets always weighing the edges of their roster, Zeke Nnaji has surfaced again as a possible name to watch. Denver has been mentioned as open to moving the young big, and his contract status adds another layer since he has a player option for next season. In a landscape where every move gets judged through salary and flexibility, even a fringe piece can draw real interest if the fit lines up on paper.
One idea circulating would put Los Angeles in the mix, with the Lakers evaluating whether a young scorer such as Jaden Hardy is worth sacrificing some of that roster balance. Hardy brings the better offensive punch, while Nnaji offers size and a different kind of utility, which is why the conversation has gone beyond simple player-for-player value. The tricky part is making the numbers work cleanly, and that is usually where these kinds of talks either gain traction or stall out. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Title Push Just Took A Costly Turn Fans Will Debate
Denvers push to load up around Nikola Jokic has taken another notable turn, with the Nuggets moving to bring in veteran forward DeMar DeRozan after his exit from Sacramento. DeRozan became available once he was waived by the Kings, and reports from Chris Haynes and Shams Charania indicate the deal is expected to be a one-year arrangement that gives Denver another proven scorer as it keeps building for another title run.
The move also speaks to how aggressively the Nuggets are operating as they try to maximize this window, even if it comes with real financial consequences. Once the signing is official, Denver is expected to sit at 14 players on guaranteed contracts and face a luxury tax bill that goes beyond the second apron, the kind of number that reflects both urgency and belief in what this roster can still chase. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Just Lost More Than Depth In This Offseason Shakeup
The Nuggets have spent the 2026 offseason watching familiar pieces peel away, and the latest turnover leaves Denver looking thinner in more ways than one. Tim Hardaway Jr. is headed to Miami, Bruce Brown is still sitting in free agency with his future unsettled, and the front office has already had to absorb a wave of departures that changes the look of a group that was built to survive the long haul of a season.
What stings for Denver is that this is not just about replacing minutes, but about replacing the kind of lineup flexibility and veteran balance that can disappear quickly once the market opens up. With five notable player exits already on the books, the Nuggets are entering the new season with more questions than they would like, and the way they answer them will say a lot about how much of last years identity they can keep intact. [Read more 🡒]