The Denver Nuggets did not deliver the kind of offseason their fans were hoping for after a first-round playoff exit. The summer brought frustration, a few painful departures, and no changes to the starting lineup. Still, the whole thing is not as bleak as it first looks.
The biggest hits came on the bench. Watson, Hardaway Jr., and Brown are all gone, and those are the kinds of losses that can show up fast once the season starts.
The Nuggets also traded away their 23-year-old rising star, which only added to the sense that the roster took a step back instead of forward. Even so, there are real reasons to think Denver found some useful pieces.
The first bright spot came early in free agency with the addition of Marvin Bagley III on a veteran minimum contract. A former second-overall pick, Bagley had been written off for a stretch, but last season’s bounce-back gave Denver enough reason to take a chance.
In split time with the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks, he put up 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 stocks per game while shooting 61.8% from the field and 46.2% from beyond the arc. At 27, he brings more two-way flexibility than Jonas Valanciunas did behind Nikola Jokic, and he even opens the door to some intriguing two-big looks with a Bagley-Jokic pairing.
Denver is also banking on internal development. DaRon Holmes is still a name worth watching after missing his entire rookie season with an Achilles tear. The 24-year-old showed some flashes in the G League last season that hint at what he could become for the Nuggets, especially as a defender and passer.
Then there’s Trevon Brazile, whom Denver selected with the 35th overall pick. The Arkansas product gives the Nuggets a shot at another useful frontcourt piece.
He is the team’s most athletic player right away and maybe its most versatile defender, and he has enough rebounding and offensive reliability to earn minutes as a rookie. He also has a clear path to becoming Denver’s primary backup power forward.
But the move that really changes the conversation is DeMar DeRozan. Without him, the Nuggets’ offseason would look a lot worse. His arrival does more than stabilize the bench; it gives the summer a real anchor.
At 37, DeRozan is clearly in the final stage of his career, but the scoring is still there. Last season with the Sacramento Kings, he averaged 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 49.7% from the field and 32% from deep. Denver will lean on him as its top bench scorer and playmaker, and he should be in the mix as a Sixth Man of the Year finalist.
He is not a direct replacement for Watson, but he is exactly the kind of offensive jolt the second unit needed after that departure. With Alpha Diallo, Spencer Jones, Brazile, Holmes, and Bagley around him, the bench defense should hold up well enough.
The offense, though, needed DeRozan badly. Before that signing, the outlook was rough.
After it, the Nuggets at least have a bench unit with a pulse.
So yes, this was not the offseason Denver fans expected. The losses of Watson and Hardaway Jr. will hurt. But between DeRozan and Bagley, the Nuggets found enough help to make the summer look a lot less grim than it did at first glance.
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Nuggets Face A Familiar Roster Dilemma With Real Depth Implications
The Nuggets are once again staring at a familiar roster puzzle, with 14 of their 15 spots already spoken for and the minimum requirement satisfied. In a perfect world, that final opening would provide a little extra flexibility, but Denvers salary-cap reality and the looming luxury tax penalty make every addition a more complicated decision than it looks on paper.
So instead of rushing to round out the roster, the Nuggets could be patient and let the season begin with the group they already have in place. It would be a path they know well after essentially operating with 14 players until the trade deadline last season before eventually adding more bodies, and it speaks to how much depth in Denver can still be shaped by finances as much as by basketball need. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Just Added A Rookie Fighting For A Real Rotation Shot
The Nuggets keep tweaking the edges of their roster as they get ready for training camp in late September and preseason action in early October, and the latest move adds another young body to the mix. After trading Peyton Watson for draft picks and signing veteran DeMar DeRozan, Denver has now brought in a rookie who will get a chance to compete for minutes while the team continues sorting out its rotation for the 2026-27 season.
Bryce Hopkins was signed to a two-way contract, giving Denver a low-risk way to see what he can handle at the NBA level while keeping him in the organizations development pipeline. For a team that has already made one major veteran addition and another notable roster shakeup, the move fits the kind of practical, future-minded depth-building that often matters as much in October as it does in April. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Salary Cap Delay Could Cost Denver More Than Expected
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Denver has navigated this kind of pressure before, and around the league there have been plenty of examples of teams moving draft capital to create enough breathing room. The question now is whether the Nuggets can trim salary in time to avoid deeper consequences, or whether they end up needing to part with even more future assets just to keep the books from tightening further. [Read more 🡒]