The NBA offseason keeps turning, and Duke’s footprint is all over it.
Denver made one move Thursday that brought back a familiar face: former Blue Devil guard Tyus Jones agreed to return to the Nuggets on a one-year deal. Jones landed in Denver in March after being waived by Dallas, and even though his regular-season production with the Nuggets was fairly modest, he played his way into David Adelman’s playoff rotation. That was enough for Denver to circle back and keep him in the fold as it works on its guard depth for next season.
The financial details haven’t been made public, but early reporting puts the deal at around the veterans minimum.
The Nuggets also added another former Duke player to the mix in Marvin Bagley III.
Bagley agreed to a one-year deal with Denver, giving the team another frontcourt option behind Nikola Jokic. The reported contract is at the veteran minimum and is valued at approximately $3.5 million. Bagley split last season between Washington and Dallas, and he finished well enough as both a scorer and rebounder to land another NBA chance.
He’s still only 27, which makes it easy to remember just how young he was when he arrived at Duke as one of the most decorated recruits in the country. His lone season in Durham was one of the most productive freshman years Duke has had in the one and done era.
Bagley averaged 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds, won ACC Player of the Year, and went No. 2 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. His pro career hasn’t matched the expectation that came with that resume, but Denver is clearly betting there’s still useful production left in the right role.
The Duke connections don’t stop there, either. Summer League rosters are starting to come into focus, and a long list of former Blue Devils is set to be involved.
Cameron Boozer, the potential Rookie of the Year, is set to begin his pro career with Memphis after going No. 3 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. Isaiah Evans is expected to be with Minnesota after Brooklyn picked him at No. 33 and sent his rights to the Timberwolves. Maliq Brown is officially on San Antonio’s Summer League roster after the Spurs selected him 44th overall.
A few more familiar names are scattered through the mix as well. Trevor Keels is in the Miami group as he keeps pushing for a longer NBA stay.
Cam Reddish is slated to play for Orlando. DJ Steward is expected to get another Summer League look with Portland.
And Sion James is part of Charlotte’s broader young core picture after a strong rookie season with the Hornets.
There’s even a Duke presence on the bench.
Former Blue Devil captain Amile Jefferson will coach Boston’s Summer League team, another step in his quick rise on the coaching side. He has already earned a strong reputation inside the Celtics organization, and this assignment gives him another visible chance to keep growing into that role.
In Other News...
Why Experts Suddenly See Duke As The ACC Team To Beat
Dukes offseason buzz is starting to sound less like optimism and more like a legitimate warning shot for the rest of the ACC. Around the conference, analysts and former players are pointing to the Blue Devils as a team with the kind of depth, defense and guard talent that can carry a league race, especially with the latest roster additions giving the group a different level of balance heading into 2026-27.
The bigger question now is how all of those pieces fit once the games actually matter. There is real intrigue around the backcourt rotation, what kind of production Duke gets up front and who settles into the role of the late-game option, but the conversation has clearly moved beyond simple hype. For a program that is used to being measured by championship standards, that is usually the sign of a team people are beginning to take very seriously. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Fans May Need To Rethink How Ready Boumtje Boumtje Is
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje keeps making it harder to think of him as just a future piece for next season. The Duke recruit turned in another standout performance at the FIBA U17 World Cup, powering the USA past Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals with the kind of production that shows up in every part of the box score and in every possession that matters. He was efficient, active on the glass and involved as a passer, which is exactly the sort of all-around impact that has people around the program paying close attention.
The bigger picture for Duke is simple: this is no longer just about waiting for a talented freshman to arrive on campus. Boumtje Boumtje and the USA now move on to Australia in the semifinals, and if the run continues, the Blue Devils will be watching one of their most anticipated newcomers finish the tournament before turning his attention to Durham and the start of practice. For a team that will want him ready to contribute quickly, every game he plays right now feels like an extra step in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]