The Denver Nuggets need to start filling roster spots with minimum-salary free agents at some point. Their only splashes so far are Marvin Bagley III and Tyus Jones. Bagley is exciting at the price, and he comes with a ton of upside as an athletic, former second-overall pick. But another free agent has recently emerged, and DeMar DeRozan would be a fascinating fit as a backup for the Nuggets. But that's the keyword. Backup.
The Sacramento Kings waived DeRozan as reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, making him one of the top free agents left on the market. The Nuggets have been dragging their feet to start the offseason, but they could get it in gear with DeRozan.
The only problem is that the six-time All-Star has never come off the bench. In 1264 career games, he's only come off the bench 14 times, and 12 of those were in his rookie season way back in 2009-10.
The 17-year vet has been a mainstay in the starting unit for the Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, and the Kings. For a reason. The Nuggets need to at least explore the option, because the 6-foot-6 wing can still play.
DeRozan can still ball and would be a great bench option
DeRozan, at age 36, just scored 18.4 points on 49.7% shooting from the floor and 86.8% from the free-throw line, while generating 5.6 free-throw attempts in 2025-26 with the Kings. He's still able to get to the rim, and he knocks down the turnaround and mid-range jumpers very well. Offensively, he'd be a great fit and would be a much more aggressive scoring option than Bruce Brown was.
The problem is that he's lost a step, and his defense isn't great. Especially in transition, but it does improve in half-court sets, and DeRozan makes up for some of his deficiencies with basketball smarts and gets in the right position ahead of time.
But on the veteran minimum contract? The Nuggets need to do their homework to explore the fit more. It's a fascinating idea to see if the Nuggets could get the same production out of DeRozan from an entirely new role that he could take on to expand his career.
DeRozan can play multiple positions in the rotation. He played a small power forward for the Kings last year, but he's spent most of his career on the wing. Sure, he won't fix athleticism or defense. But the Nuggets won't find a better scoring option in the veteran-minimum market. Except for one player. But it'll be a long shot for the Nuggets to land LeBron James.
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