It was going to be a pipe dream as it was, but it still hurts to miss out on LeBron James. Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the 23-year veteran decided to take his talents to Philadelphia as a member of the 76ers this go-around, leaving the Denver Nuggets still searching to fill out the roster. Their focus should now turn to another potentially minimum-salary free agent, 17-year veteran DeMar DeRozan. The six-time All-Star wing is clearly the best offensive option and fit for the Nuggets left on the table.
BREAKING: LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option, Klutch Sports Group and Klutch CEO and Game Over show host Rich Paul tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/ALOlTkgdAV
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 24, 2026
This news means no more speculation about what it could look like to see Nikola Jokic and LeBron James playing alongside each other. No more wondering about how many lobs Joker might toss to LeBron.
Instead, we can speculate about what DeRozan could like next to Joker. It would have to be as a member of the second unit for the first time in his career, but it's an adjustment he's probably going to have to make for any contender, and the Nuggets are no different. But if the Nuggets were able to convince DeRozan to choose Denver, they'd have a great backup plan to LeBron.
DeRozan makes for a great fit off the bench
DeRozan started 77 games for the Sacramento Kings in 2025-26 before being waived this summer, playing 31.2 minutes as a starter. But he averaged "just" 18.4 points, his lowest total since 2012-2013.
However, he shot 49.7% from the floor, showing that he's still got the mid-range and turnaround jumper game that made him the All-Star he was. And DeRozan still got to the free-throw line 5.6 times per game, indicating he's still showing athleticism and a downhill slashing game getting to the rim.
That's why he's the perfect LeBron backup target. DeRozan is a much better scorer than Tim Hardaway Jr., and if head coach David Adelman decides he wants to try out some form of a small-ball rotation, DeRozan can play at the four as an undersized wing, like he's done during parts of his career.
That's flexibility similar to what LeBron has. It offers the Nuggets another option when they build out their rotation. Sure, DeRozan isn't going to solve the Nuggets' defensive woes, but they signed Alpha Diallo to try and take care of that. DeRozan can pick up Diallo's lack of offense, and Diallo can pick up DeRozan's lack of defense. Boom, problem solved!
It would behoove the Nuggets to at least entertain the idea. They won't find a better scoring option in their price range with LeBron off the board.
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