The Nuggets have started to chip away at their quiet offseason, but they still have work left to do before the 2026-27 season begins.
Denver has already checked off a few items: it traded Peyton Watson, added veteran wing DeMar DeRozan, and signed second-round rookie Bryce Hopkins to a two-way deal two months after the draft. That leaves one standard roster spot and one two-way opening still on the board.
The team does not have to fill either one. In fact, with Denver sitting above the second apron and looking for ways to eventually get under, leaving a spot open would not be a shock at all. Still, it would be hard to ignore the possibility that the Nuggets add at least one more player before opening night.
If they do make one more standard-contract move, Lonnie Walker IV looks like the most likely candidate. He is already in camp on a deal worth the veteran minimum $3.29 million, though that money only becomes guaranteed if he makes the final roster. For now, Denver gets a look at him in training camp, where he has a chance to earn his place.
Walker, 27, spent last season with Maccabi Tel Aviv and produced 15.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.8 steals across 28 EuroLeague games, playing 22.8 minutes per night. His shooting numbers were modest there - 39.4% from the field and 35.1% from three - but they climbed in IBSL games, where he hit 50.7% overall and 40.7% from beyond the arc.
LONNIE WALKER IV DID THIS IN THE EUROLEAGUE 😱pic.twitter.com/DfpNL26o8s
That kind of scoring punch would give Denver another bench option, and the need for extra guard depth is pretty obvious. Tyus Jones and Julian Strawther give the Nuggets some comfort, but another capable perimeter piece would make the rotation look a lot healthier.
If Walker does not stick, the safer expectation is that Denver simply keeps that final standard spot empty.
The two-way situation is murkier, at least on the surface. As part of the Peyton Watson trade, the Nuggets landed two-way big man Julian Reese from the Washington Wizards, and early reports said he would be waived right away. A week later, Reese is still on the roster.
The expectation remains that Denver will eventually move on from him, but there is a strong case for keeping him. Reese, 23, flashed real impact for Washington late in his rookie season. In only 13 appearances, he averaged 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds, and his game-by-game numbers were eye-catching enough to stand out.
Julian Reese has the most rebounds by a player in their first 10 career games this century. pic.twitter.com/vJEkGLXqCy
Denver does not exactly need more frontcourt depth, but Reese would still be a worthwhile gamble on a two-way deal.
If the Nuggets do waive him, then the open two-way slot should go to another young player. There is little reason to leave that kind of spot unused, and the smarter move would be to give an opportunity to someone looking for one.
In Other News...
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The effect is less about this season than the one coming next, when every dollar on the cap sheet matters for a team operating deep in the tax. Denvers move trims its projected luxury tax bill in a meaningful way, a reminder that even a waived player can linger in the ledger long after he is gone from the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Suddenly Face A Big Post-Watson Bench Defense Question
The Nuggets addition of DeMar DeRozan gives the bench another proven scorer, but the bigger question left by the Peyton Watson trade is how Denver replaces the defensive value Watson brought off the bench. Watson was the kind of disruptive perimeter presence that helped the second unit hold up against quicker wings and guards, and his departure leaves a role that cannot be filled simply by adding another bucket-getter.
For that job, Denver may have to look to rookie Alpha Diallo, whose defense stood out in the EuroLeague and earned him Defensive Player of the Year honors. Diallo has the length, activity and discipline to profile as the sort of perimeter stopper Watson was asked to be, but the real test is whether that edge carries over to NBA pace and spacing. For a Nuggets team trying to keep its bench balanced, that translation could matter just as much as DeRozans scoring. [Read more 🡒]