The Nuggets spent their offseason trying to get cheaper, and that’s exactly why one NBA scout thinks Denver may pay for it later.
After a 54-28 season that ended with a first-round exit, the franchise moved into salary-cap cleanup mode and became the only team operating in the second apron. The goal was simple: trim payroll.
The cost, though, was talent. To save money, Denver dealt Peyton Watson to the Cavaliers for two draft picks, and at least one scout believes that move could sting once the games get tight.
“I think they’ll miss Peyton Watson some,” an anonymous NBA scout told Sports Illustrated. “I think that was part of the reason why it was harder for them when they got to the playoffs because you can't count on Aaron Gordon physically.
I don’t know if you ever will be able to. It's hard for that guy to maintain a level of health that you need him to so he can compete when the games are the highest pressure, most competitive, and you have to be physically ready for it.”
Watson, a first-round pick in 2022, had grown into a strong defender and made noticeable offensive progress last season. That departure is part of a bigger pattern around Nikola Jokić, where Denver has made expensive bets that have left the roster with little room to improve.
The Nuggets have already committed major money to Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun, while also giving Zeke Nnaji a four-year, $32 million deal. Those contracts have boxed the team in and made meaningful upgrades around Jokić tough to pull off.
Another move that drew skepticism was the 2025 trade sending Michael Porter Jr. to the Nets for Cam Johnson. A year later, it doesn’t look like a win. Johnson shot 43% from three, but he averaged only 12.2 points per game, and Denver was knocked out in the first round for the first time since 2022 and just the second time in the Jokić era.
“The Michael Porter Jr.-Cam Johnson swap didn’t really work out,” an NBA scout told SI. “Johnson is equally a bad defender, but smaller, so it makes him a worse defender.
Porter Jr., I would say, is a better offensive player and very good shooter. He's probably tough to be around, but it did not make them better defensively.
It did not make them better offensively. It didn't help their rebounding.
So yeah, it was a net loss.”
Denver did add DeMar DeRozan, who is 37 and still capable of scoring, even if his 18.4 points per game with the Kings last season came on a 22-win team. In Denver, he figures to fit as a secondary scorer rather than the focal point.
But not everyone was sold on the fit.
“DeMar DeRozan does nothing for me,” an NBA scout told SI. “Nice name, good guy, but what does he have left?
To me, it makes them a worse offensive team and equally as bad of a defensive team, I guess. Or I don't know, maybe they can sustain the level of offense.
I don't know how many inefficient shooters at 37 years old who are also bad defenders that help teams.”
The Nuggets also added Bagley, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft, and Diallo. Bagley, who was famously taken ahead of Luka Dončić, has settled into a solid role-player career and gives Denver insurance at center if Gordon runs into injury trouble again. Diallo, a Providence standout in college, has not played in an NBA game yet and has spent the last few years in Europe, where he built a reputation as a relentless defender.
None of that means Denver is suddenly out of the picture. The Nuggets are still a good team and should remain in the mix in a loaded Western Conference.
They were picked to finish fifth in the West and draw the No. 4 seed Lakers in the first round. Even if the roster looks worse on paper, Jokić is still the kind of player who keeps a team alive.
As long as Denver keeps him on the floor and away from his horses, it will always have a shot.
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That matters because the cap picture ahead looks increasingly unforgiving. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report ranked the Nuggets as having the worst salary cap situation in 2026-27 and beyond, which makes every movable pick and every bit of roster maneuvering more important. For a team trying to stay in the title mix, the difference between having a tradable future first and not having one can shape how aggressive Denver is allowed to be when the next opportunity arrives. [Read more 🡒]