While it was cool to see Lonnie Walker IV getting another chance in the NBA, it seemed very odd and a bit concerning that the Nuggets were signing him to a one-year deal, adding a 14th man to the roster, and increasing their already ridiculous tax bill.
It seemed to signal an acknowledgment that Peyton Watson was gone, and possibly even worse things were still to come. But that has all changed in the blink of an eye, as it appears that Shams Charania, in his race to break the news late on Wednesday night, may have gotten his reporting of the deal wrong.
Walker's deal is for training camp only
According to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post, Walker’s deal is just an Exhibit 10 deal, which means he’s signed for training camp only and can compete for a roster spot. The deal has no guarantee beyond that. So, the Nuggets still only have 13 players on their roster, the tax bill is not any higher than it was yesterday, they aren’t further over the second apron, and they still have the means to re-sign Watson, or even Bruce Brown.
Lonnie Walker IV's agreement with the Nuggets is a training camp deal, league sources tell @DenverPost. He will compete for a roster spot at camp this fall. Denver still has two open spots.
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) August 6, 2026
This makes the Walker move a lot more appealing, as it’s more of a lottery ticket on a guy who had some great moments in the NBA, is still only 27 years old, and, if nothing else, he’s now a great insurance policy if they lose Watson, Brown, or another wing player, and you’ve already got Lonnie in the door for training camp.
Bringing in Walker for camp a great low-risk gamble for Denver
It seemed crazy to guarantee that deal for Walker, who spent all of last season playing in Israel and has appeared in just 20 NBA games since 2024. It seemed especially crazy considering their only other free agency acquisitions have been Marvin Bagley and Alpha Diallo - another player from overseas, one who has never even played in the NBA.
And it seemed most crazy due to their ongoing financial crisis and stalemate with Peyton Watson.
But now, with this report from Durando, everything makes much more sense, and I actually love the low-risk flier from Denver’s point of view. It’s a worthy gamble that costs them nothing and could result in a solid addition to the bench in a guy who can handle the ball, score, get out in transition, and offer a welcome dose of athleticism and explosiveness that has been lacking on the roster for some time now (especially if they lose Watson).
We’ll see how it plays out, and if he ever actually plays a game for the Nuggets, but at least all of the worries from when this deal was first reported have gone away. We can all breathe a sigh of relief and go back to tirelessly monitoring the seemingly never-ending stalemate between Watson and the Nuggets. False alarm, everyone. Nothing to see here!
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