DeMar DeRozan’s arrival in Denver comes with more than just another veteran scorer joining the roster. The 37-year-old forward, who signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Nuggets after his partially guaranteed contract was waived by the Kings in July, is also carrying a message he has been pushing beyond basketball. In a recent Athletic feature by Mirin Fader, DeRozan’s “keen interest in mental health issues” was highlighted, along with his effort to move the subject “from conversation to action, from podcasts to policy, to reach more people - specifically, young boys and men - who are struggling to cope with mental health challenges and emotional isolation.”
DeRozan said he often leans on the phrase “it’s almost over” as a way to remind himself to appreciate the closing stretch of his career. That mindset fits with how he described this stage of his life.
“ It’s not a negative thing,” DeRozan said. “ It’s a beautiful thing. You can’t do this forever, but while you’re in it, give it all you got, so when it’s time to walk away, you’re at ease with everything.”
He also confirmed to Fader that Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray all reached out to recruit him before he chose Denver. For DeRozan, the draw is obvious: he’s joining a group of accomplished veterans who already won a title together in 2023.
“ When I came in the league, I never would have imagined or thought I’d be playing that long,” DeRozan told The Athletic. “ And when you get in, you don’t realize how fast and how much time goes by. … It’s a blessing to be able to play this long.”
Elsewhere around the Nuggets, Aaron Gordon gave a notably short answer when asked about the team’s offseason moves during a Q&A at his youth basketball camp last week. Bennett Durando of The Denver Post described the response as “expressionless,” and Gordon kept it brief: “ We’ll see,” he said. Team sources told Durando that Gordon, who has dealt with soft-tissue injuries over the past two years, has been a “consistent presence” around the Nuggets’ practice facility this summer.
Gordon also addressed a few other topics, including the departure of Peyton Watson and the team mini-camp he helped organize in Puerto Rico. He said he’s been impressed by 2026 second-round picks Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins. Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette relayed Gordon’s comments.
“ Yeah, the rookies are good, ” Gordon said. “ Bryce is really good.
TB is really good. They can play.
I’m not entirely sure where they’re going to fit in, but they can go.”
With training camp approaching, Chris Dempsey of Demps and Circumstance laid out five big Nuggets questions, starting with a simple one: “ How hungry will the Nuggets be to claw back to the top of the NBA? ” Dempsey noted that, over the past couple seasons, the answer has been that they were not hungry enough.
Off the court, Kroenke Sports and Entertainment announced Friday that Ball Arena will get a $135MM renovation. The project, which will be privately funded, is set to begin construction next summer.
E. Stanley Kroenke said the company’s goals remain tied to both the team and the city.
“ When we acquired the Nuggets, Avalanche, and the Arena, we committed to developing winning teams and to supporting the City of Denver,” said Kroenke Sports and Entertainment founder, owner and chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. “ The renovated Ball Arena and the subsequent redevelopment of the surrounding land allow us to keep doing both for another 25 years and beyond.”
In Other News...
DeMar DeRozan Gives Nuggets Bench A New Tradeoff To Watch
Denvers decision to sign DeMar DeRozan in place of Bruce Brown brings a different kind of calculation to the bench mix. Brown was valued for his rugged role-player presence before heading to the New York Knicks in free agency, while DeRozan arrives with six All-Star nods and a much broader offensive rsum, giving the Nuggets a more versatile scorer to lean on when the second unit needs someone to settle things down.
The tradeoff, of course, is that the fit is not just about points and shot creation. The numbers suggest both players have been far from defensive standouts, and while Denver can live with some overlap if DeRozan helps lift the offense, the bench still has to hold its own on the other end. For a team thinking about another deep run, that is the part worth watching as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Face One Big Question About Escaping Their Cap Crunch
The long-term picture around Denver has gotten murkier, at least in ESPNs latest three-year outlook. The Nuggets slid to 18th after being placed ninth in the previous update, a drop tied to roster turnover and the kind of salary-cap pressure that has become impossible to ignore around a contender trying to keep its core intact.
For Denver, the issue is not just where the team stands now but how it can create enough breathing room to keep building. The Nuggets are operating above the NBAs second-apron threshold, which limits flexibility in a hurry, even as possible cap changes and the use of draft assets could open a better path by the 2027-28 season. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Made Their Biggest Weakness Impossible To Ignore This Summer
After getting knocked out by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, Denver spent the summer trying to make its bench look a lot more alive. The Nuggets added more athleticism and scoring depth with newcomers such as Cam Whitmore, Marvin Bagley and DeMar DeRozan, a clear response to the stretches last season when the second unit could not keep pace on either end of the floor.
The changes went beyond just the roster, too, with Denver bringing in Dave Joerger and Austin Dufault to help sharpen the group defensively, especially the younger players. Even after all that work, though, the biggest question around the bench has not disappeared, because the Nuggets still have to prove these fixes translate once the games start mattering again. [Read more 🡒]