The Denver Nuggets may look close to finished with their 2026 offseason, but they still have some real decisions to make before training camp opens on September 29.
Right now, Denver has 14 players on standard contracts and both two-way spots filled, which leaves room to add up to two more players. The most likely outcome is that they carry an open roster spot into the season. Even so, that does not mean the roster is exactly where it needs to be.
The biggest issue sits in the backcourt. Behind Jamal Murray and Christian Braun, the Nuggets are looking at Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther and two-way point guard KJ Simpson. That is not exactly a group that inspires much confidence.
The comparison to other top teams from last season makes the concern even clearer. The Oklahoma City Thunder had Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain and Cason Wallace.
The San Antonio Spurs had Dylan Harper. The champion New York Knicks had Miles McBride, Jordan Clarkson, Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado.
Denver is going to need more than Tyus Jones and Julian Strawther if it wants to push out of the Western Conference.
That is where Lonnie Walker IV comes in. He is in camp on a non-guaranteed deal, and if he makes the final 15-man roster, the Nuggets would owe him $3.5 million. Denver would probably prefer to keep that final spot open, but the need for guard depth could make Walker IV the easiest low-risk answer.
At his best, Walker IV gives them scoring punch. He can hit from deep, attack the basket and pressure defenses in a way this bench currently lacks. The Nuggets already have offensive options in Strawther, DeMar DeRozan and Marvin Bagley, but another ball-handler who can create stress on a defense would fit what they need.
If Denver decides not to keep Walker IV, then the pressure on Strawther jumps even higher. He played behind Tim Hardaway Jr. last season, which may have helped him develop, but now he is moving into the biggest role of his young career in a contract year. If Walker IV is not there, Strawther has to be ready to take a major step.
Christian Braun is another swing point for this roster. His 2025-26 season was a rough one.
In 44 games during an injury-hit year, he averaged 12.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 51.9% from the field and 30.1% from three. After a breakout 2024-25 season and a five-year, $125 million extension, that production was a letdown.
Now the Nuggets need a rebound. Braun’s new contract is kicking in, and with Denver’s lack of depth behind him, another down year is not really an option.
Last season made it obvious that Braun simply was not himself. Injuries mattered, but he did not play with the same confidence that helped him emerge as a rising star the year before.
The Nuggets cannot afford to give up on him now. Braun is the kind of role player who fits perfectly next to stars like Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and Denver needs to keep him engaged and help him get his confidence back.
Then there is the loss of Peyton Watson. Denver moved on, and the hope has to be that his absence does not hurt as much as it seems it could. Watson gave the Nuggets real value last season as a confident point-of-attack defender and a growing offensive contributor, and there is no one else on the roster who can quite match that two-way impact.
Replacing that production in the second unit will not be simple, but the Nuggets did bring in two players who can help.
DeRozan should give the bench the scoring it lost. The six-time All-Star is one of the most accomplished scorers the league has ever seen, and he has a real path to a Sixth Man of the Year case as Denver’s main offensive option off the bench. The concern, as always, is defense.
That is where Alpha Diallo fits. The reigning EuroLeague Best Defender winner could help cover for Watson’s point-of-attack defense and become Denver’s top stopper off the bench. If DeRozan brings the offense and Diallo brings the defense, the Nuggets have a shot at softening the blow of losing Watson - assuming David Adelman can work both newcomers into the rotation the right way.
In Other News...
Nuggets Still Face One Roster Decision That Could Hurt Their Depth
The Nuggets have already made one notable move by signing DeMar DeRozan, but the roster picture is still not fully settled as the team heads toward the 2026-27 season. Denver has one standard contract spot left, and the decision around it carries more weight than it might on a deeper roster, especially with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray still forming the core and the point guard depth already a concern.
The front office now has to weigh flexibility against filling out the back end of the rotation. Keeping the slot open would preserve maneuverability and help with luxury tax considerations, while a training camp deal for Lonnie Walker IV offers a possible path to another guard option if Denver decides it needs more help. For a team built to contend, even the last open spot can become a meaningful choice. [Read more 🡒]
Former Nuggets Champion Could Force A Tough Lakers Roster Decision
Bruce Brown is back in the market, and the interest is strong enough that it could force the Lakers into some uncomfortable roster math. The former Nuggets champion brings the kind of versatile, playoff-tested depth teams chase this time of year, and Los Angeles is reportedly weighing him as a fit behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. For a Lakers group trying to keep its rotation flexible, Browns all-around game makes him an appealing piece to monitor.
The catch is that the Lakers cannot just add another veteran and move on as if nothing else changes. Creating room for Brown could mean parting with a current player, which is where the decision starts getting tricky for a team already balancing fit, depth and long-term planning. And with multiple playoff-caliber contenders in the mix, Los Angeles may have to act quickly if it wants to keep Brown from becoming someone elses useful late-summer addition. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Have One Edge The Rest Of The NBA Cant Match
The Nuggets have spent the offseason leaning into one of the few advantages no opponent can really copy: altitude. With training camp set to open Sept. 29, veterans Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun got in a demanding workout at Red Rocks, a setting that has long served as a reminder of what Denver asks its players to handle before the season even begins.
For a team that has already shown it can punish defenses in transition, the obvious next step is to turn that natural edge into more pace and more pressure over the course of a game. Denvers speed on the break helped define parts of last season, and if the Nuggets can keep pushing the tempo while opponents are still trying to catch their breath, that could become another weapon in a conference that already has plenty to worry about. [Read more 🡒]