Altitude Sports has filled out its Nuggets broadcast team for 2026/27, and Jason Richardson is part of the new look. The former NBA guard is joining as a studio analyst, according to Alexander Kirk of 9 News, and Altitude said he’ll also work selected home games as a second color analyst.
Richardson marked the move with a statement on social media, saying, “Denver has always been a special place for me and my family,” Richardson said. “We’ve built so many lifelong friendships here and have always considered Colorado home. To be back in Denver and now have the opportunity to be part of the Nuggets organization makes this next chapter even more meaningful.”
Elsewhere in the Northwest, ESPN’s Zach Kram gave the Timberwolves a C-plus for their offseason work, pointing to the risk in moving Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and most of the team’s tradable draft assets for LaMelo Ball. Kram also singled out Terrence Shannon Jr. as Minnesota’s biggest X-factor in 2026/27, after the 2024 first-rounder turned in some of the best basketball of his career in the playoffs.
Kram was much more bullish on the Jazz, handing Utah an A in ESPN’s offseason review and season preview. He praised the front office for the value it got in a sign-and-trade of Walker Kessler to the Lakers for two unprotected first-round picks and two swaps, though he also noted the move leaves Will Hardy with a tricky center situation. In Kram’s view, neither Jusuf Nurkic nor Jaxson Hayes is a long-term answer, and he’ll be watching how often Jaren Jackson Jr. is used at the five.
Portland’s offseason drew a different kind of attention from ESPN’s Ben Golliver, who said Tom Dundon’s arrival as a first-time NBA owner has overshadowed the Blazers’ personnel moves to a degree. Even so, Golliver described the roster as “heavy on scoring-minded guards and light on frontcourt difference-makers,” and said that if Portland doesn’t trade to ease the backcourt congestion, one or more veteran guards could be forced into “uncomfortable” sacrifices.
In Other News...
Peyton Watson Trade Just Made The Jazz Picture A Little Tougher
A busy multi-team trade reshaped the board around the league, with Peyton Watson headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a deal that also sent Max Strus to Los Angeles and draft picks back to Denver. For the Jazz, the move matters less because of the names changing hands than because of what it does to the broader Western Conference picture, where every transaction seems to tighten the margin for teams trying to climb.
Utah has spent plenty of time weighing its own path against a crowded field of rivals, and a deal like this only adds another layer to that calculation. Cleveland gets a young piece to plug into its mix, the Clippers add shooting help, and Denver collects future value, but the ripple effects extend well beyond the teams directly involved, leaving the Jazz with a little more to sort through as the landscape keeps shifting. [Read more 🡒]
Walker Kessler Trade Leaves Jazz Facing A Huge Defensive Gamble
Walker Kesslers departure this offseason gives the Jazz a very different look on the back line, and it comes with a real defensive question attached. Kessler had become one of the leagues more promising young rim protectors, the kind of big man who can change how an opposing offense attacks the paint, and Utah had every reason to believe his best years were still ahead.
The Jazz have made it clear they plan to absorb that loss through other personnel and through the culture they are trying to build, but that is easier said than done. Frontcourt defense is now a harder problem to solve, and how well Utah handles it could go a long way toward shaping the next phase of the roster. [Read more 🡒]