The Denver Nuggets haven’t exactly been busy this offseason, and the biggest reason is still unresolved: the team is waiting on decisions in its restricted free agent situations with Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones. Until those situations are settled, the summer can’t really be called finished.
Even so, Denver has quietly added a few bench pieces that could matter once the season starts. The most interesting of the bunch may be Alpha Diallo, a EuroLeague import who doesn’t come with much flash but could wind up being one of the more useful additions the Nuggets made.
Diallo is entering his first NBA season after signing a one-year deal worth less than $2 million, and he’s still something of a mystery to anyone who hasn’t been following overseas basketball closely. But the Nuggets may have found a real fit for what they need most: defense.
That’s the calling card here. Diallo won EuroLeague’s best defender award in 2026, led the league in steals, and brings size, length, and versatility that Denver can use. That matters for a team that finished in the bottom ten of the NBA in defensive rating for a second straight season.
The fit becomes even clearer when you look at the second unit. Denver’s bench has been thin, and the wing defense behind the starters has been especially lacking. Before Diallo arrived, the best hope for that kind of production was Julian Strawther, who has been a net negative defensively since entering the league in 2023.
Diallo gives the Nuggets a different kind of option, and he does it at a bargain price of $1.3 million. He may not be the guy guarding the opponent’s top scorer every night, and he may not be the one finishing games if his offense and floor spacing don’t come around. But he should still raise the defensive floor for a team that made fixing that side of the ball a priority this offseason.
And for a roster that has already lost multiple key pieces, including Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas over the past few weeks, that matters. Diallo may be one of the cheapest players on the roster, but he looks like someone who can absolutely play, and could help keep Denver’s bench unit from slipping.
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Nuggets Roster Shakeup Just Put One Young Guard Under Real Pressure
Tyus Jones arriving as the new backup point guard gives Denver a steadier hand behind Jamal Murray, but the ripple effects go beyond the backcourt depth chart. With Bruce Brown not re-signed and Tim Hardaway Jr. gone, the Nuggets have opened up minutes that have to go somewhere, and Julian Strawther is one of the young players suddenly staring at a much larger opportunity.
Strawther, a former first-round pick, is expected to be part of the shooting-guard mix in a way he simply was not before. Denver also has a contract decision looming with him, since the team may want to get ahead of restricted free agency and keep the price manageable before the season starts. For a roster trying to balance immediate contention with long-term flexibility, that makes Strawther one of the more interesting names to watch this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets End Summer League With A Win And One Last Roster Debate
The Nuggets wrapped up their Summer League slate in Las Vegas with a 96-89 win over Toronto, leaning on bench players in a game that took a while to find its rhythm. Denver started slowly, went into halftime tied, then used a strong third quarter to create enough separation to stay in front the rest of the way.
With the draft picks sidelined, the final look was more about the next wave of roster hopefuls than the headline names, and several summer standouts kept making their case. Mark Sears, Erik Stevenson, Jahmius Ramsey, Coleman Hawkins, Matthew Murrell and T.J. Bamba were among the players who helped close the book on the trip, leaving Denver with one last roster question to sort through before the real decisions begin. [Read more 🡒]