The Denver Nuggets finally filled a lingering hole in their backcourt, and they did it with a move few around the league likely saw coming.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Denver has agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal with Lonnie Walker IV. The former 18th-overall pick was most recently with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague, and this signing brings him back to the NBA after a couple of years overseas.
"Lonnie Walker IV has agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Denver Nuggets, agent George S. Langberg of GSLSportsGroup told ESPN. Walker was with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague after last playing in the NBA in 2024-25 and now enters his 8th season in the league," Charania reported on Wednesday night.
Walker, 27, gives Denver another guard option at a time when the roster had been thin in the backcourt all offseason. The Nuggets had only four players on standard contracts to handle that area before this reported addition, leaving a shaky group and an obvious opening for help.
His fit is pretty clear on paper. Walker brings scoring, athleticism, and downhill playmaking, all of which should give Denver’s bench a different look.
He also arrives as the Nuggets had two open roster spots, with one expected to go to restricted free agent Peyton Watson and the other earmarked for an extra backup ball-handler. By choosing Walker, Denver still leaves room to bring back Watson, but it has gone with more of an off-ball guard rather than another point guard type.
In his last NBA season, Walker played 20 games for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2024-25 and averaged 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 42% from the field and 35.4% from three. For a player with that kind of offensive profile, it has been something of a mystery why he has had trouble locking down a lasting NBA spot. Now he gets another shot, this time on a minimum contract in Denver.
The move also stands out because it was not the kind of free-agent addition many expected. The market has not exactly been overflowing with obvious difference-makers, but Denver has leaned in a different direction this offseason. Walker joins Alpha Diallo as one of the team’s new additions from the EuroLeague pool, an unusual approach for a team trying to shore up its depth.
For now, the Nuggets’ backup guard group includes Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther, and Walker. That’s a group that raises questions, especially with Walker’s defense and the uncertainty around how much his offense will carry him. He may get a chance to prove the rest of the league wrong, but there is no guarantee he settles into a meaningful rotation role.
Still, Denver has found a body for a problem spot, and Walker has another crack at making his NBA comeback stick. Whether that turns into something more will be one of the more interesting storylines to watch as the season moves forward.
In Other News...
Nuggets Add Another Wing As Denver's Offseason Debate Heats Up
The Nuggets kept adding to their offseason board this week, bringing in veteran wing Lonnie Walker IV on a one-year, $3.3 million deal as they continue to reshape the back end of the roster. Denver now has 14 players, and Walker arrives with recent experience overseas after spending time in the Israeli Basketball Premier League and EuroLeague following his last NBA action in the 2024-25 season.
Walker joins a busy stretch of roster churn that has already included signings of Alpha Diallo and Marvin Bagley, plus the draft additions of Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins. The Nuggets also retained Spencer Jones and Tyus Jones, leaving the bigger conversation centered on how all of these pieces fit as Denver weighs depth, flexibility and the best way to support its core moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Lonnie Walker Move Just Gave The Nuggets Needed Flexibility
The Nuggets added a little more breathing room this week by bringing in Lonnie Walker IV on an Exhibit 10 training camp deal, a move that gives him a chance to fight for a roster spot without forcing Denver into anything long term. For a team always balancing depth, flexibility and money, it is the kind of low-risk addition that can matter once camp starts and the competition tightens up on the wing.
Denver still has 13 players on the roster, and the signing does not increase its luxury tax obligations, which keeps the front office from having to make a bigger financial commitment just to see what Walker can offer. If the Nuggets need another body on the perimeter, or if other wing options thin out, this gives them a built-in look at a proven NBA athlete without closing off future moves. [Read more 🡒]