The Denver Nuggets are having a very slow, difficult start to the offseason. We're nearly three weeks into the 2026-27 free agent and trade window, and the Nuggets have been very quiet compared to most teams. The noise that the Nuggets are making isn't much, and it's likely a precursor of what could be ahead in the future every season as long as the Nuggets are well into the NBA's tax apron penalty thresholds.
There's a very good chance the Nuggets are in this boat for a while. Nikola Jokic's contract extension next summer could be for 35% of the salary cap. Jamal Murray is set to make 30% for the next three years. Aaron Gordon will be making 19% for three years, and Christian Braun will be making 13% over the next five. 97% of the cap taken up by four players under long-term contracts is a recipe for luxury-tax payments and apron-penalty violations, plus roster-building constraints, year after year.
It's a bleak, harsh reality that roster-building on the fringes every season will be the Nuggets' only option unless they make drastic salary cuts.
The Nuggets current offseason is their future ahead
The Nuggets' offseason is off to an incredibly slow start. They still have at least three roster spots left to fill, and they have a massive hole at the backup point guard spot. They've done great in adding a backup center in Marvin Bagley III to anchor the non-Jokic minutes, and they did great by signing rookie second-round draft pick Trevon Brazile to a minimum salary longer-term contract.
But that's about where the good news ends. The Nuggets have only brought back Tyus Jones as a backup point guard, but he's too small and a defensive and offensive liability to overcome the best quality he has, which could even be one of the best in the NBA: ball control. The Nuggets still need another point guard, and the options left on the market aren't great.
Russel Westbrook is the best option still on the board, but that's a tough match given his tumultuous time in Denver.
The Nuggets signed EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year Alpha Diallo to a one-year minimum-salary rookie contract, saving money compared to the veteran minimum they would have had to pay someone else. But just how good is Diallo if he were playing in Europe? There are other defensive stoppers who can't shoot well that are already in the NBA.
This is the future for the Nuggets and Nuggets fans. Every year, hoping the Nuggets can get a player on a minimum to exceed their value, like Tim Hardaway Jr. did last year. No big free agent signings, just a slow trickle of what's left on the market, or finding someone who really wants to play with Jokic. It's a harsh reality ahead.
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