The Denver Nuggets can still add a guard, but the board keeps shrinking.
If Denver opens next season with the roster basically where it stands now, the biggest issue in the rotation is easy to spot: the backcourt is thin. Tim Hardaway Jr. is gone to the Miami Heat, Jalen Pickett’s team option was declined, and Bruce Brown is expected to leave. That’s a very different second unit from the one the Nuggets had this time last year, especially when it comes to guard play.
Tyus Jones is already in the fold on a one-year deal, and that gives Denver at least one veteran option off the bench. Beyond that, though, the Nuggets do not have another true guard ready to handle second-unit minutes.
That matters because the easiest path to fixing the problem is also the narrowest one. Given Denver’s financial position, the team’s most realistic free-agent move would be a veteran on a minimum contract. The trouble is that the pool was already limited, and it has gotten even smaller in recent days.
Russell Westbrook, one of the best available guards on the market, retired. That effectively ended any chance of a reunion with Denver for another season. Aaron Holiday was another experienced option who could have brought defense and shooting, but he is headed to Italy to join Maxima Roma, which likely takes him out of the Nuggets’ range as well.
That leaves a short list of possible free-agent targets, with names like Gabe Vincent, Seth Curry, and Killian Hayes standing out as the most reasonable fits.
There is still the possibility of a Bruce Brown reunion, since he remains unsigned and could help stabilize the backcourt. But nothing about that feels certain.
Another route would be a sign-and-trade involving Peyton Watson, which could give Denver a chance to bring in guard help while moving the restricted free agent elsewhere. Even that avenue looks less appealing now.
The Charlotte Hornets traded for Dennis Schroder from the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this month, and Cleveland had been one of the teams rumored to have interest in Watson through a sign-and-trade. With Schroder gone, the Cavaliers no longer have the same guard depth to offer, unless Denver were looking at one of their younger players like Meleek Thomas.
Still, the Nuggets have held a firm line on Watson through his extended free agency, and it doesn’t sound like they are eager to move him just to patch a roster hole at guard.
For now, the focus remains on keeping Watson on a long-term deal while limiting luxury tax spending. However that plays out, Denver’s backup-guard situation behind Jamal Murray is looking shaky outside of Tyus Jones. David Adelman may need to get inventive with his rotations next season if the Nuggets don’t find a solution.
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The Nuggets have put forward a four-year proposal worth about $70 million, but Watson is pushing for a higher annual average and wants to be paid in the same neighborhood as Christian Brauns recent extension. For Denver, the challenge is less about whether Watson matters and more about how far the team is willing, or able, to stretch before the numbers start reshaping the roster around him. [Read more 🡒]