The Nuggets continue inching towards filling out the roster as they signed veteran Lonnie Walker IV on Wednesday night to a one-year, $3.3 million deal. Denver continues to add depth on the margins as the waiting game with Peyton Watson’s restricted free agency rolls on, as they now officially have 14 players on the roster.
Walker brings much-needed athleticism to the table
The good news here is that Walker is an elite athlete who can handle the ball, shoot, and get to the basket. He should help the Nuggets with their pace and transition, and bring some much-needed explosiveness to a roster that’s badly lacking in that department.
Walker showed some promise early in his career with the Spurs and had some flashes in the playoffs with the Lakers as well. He’s more of a wing or combo guard than a point guard, but the Nuggets just need ball-handlers at this point, and Lonnie can check that box.
Walker has barely played in NBA since 2024
Now the bad news is that Walker has not played in the NBA since the 2024-25 season, when he appeared in 20 games for the 76ers. Philly declined his team option, and he spent last season playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague.
Before the brief stint in Philly, Walker spent the 2024-25 season playing for Zalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League and the EuroLeague after spending the 2023-24 season coming off the bench for the Brooklyn Nets.
He did at least play well overseas, averaging over 15 points per game and shooting 40% from three last season, but to say that was a step down from the NBA in competition would be an understatement. He’s also still just 27 years old, so he should still have plenty left in the tank, but again, the fact that he’s played just 20 NBA games since 2024 is hardly ideal.
Nuggets offseason has been uninspiring to say the least
This isn’t a knock on Walker specifically, but his signing continues an uninspiring offseason in Denver that has included adding Marvin Bagley and Alpha Diallo, drafting Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins, and retaining Spencer Jones and Tyus Jones, while losing Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, Jalen Pickett, and David Roddy. They still have one roster spot, which they’re hoping will go to Peyton Watson, in which case they’d lose Bruce Brown as well (he’s still a free agent and could be a backup option if P-Wat goes elsewhere).
Walker joins Diallo as the second Nuggets free agent signing of the summer who has been playing overseas. Unlike Walker, Diallo has never played in the NBA since going undrafted in 2020 and playing for AS Monaco since 2021.
Again, nothing against these players specifically, but the fact that Denver has signed more players from the EuroLeague than the NBA this summer is more than a little concerning for a team that has to be in championship-or-bust mode every year that Nikola Jokic is in Denver. I’m hopeful that this all works out, but it’s getting harder and harder to feel confident in the team’s direction after such an uninspiring offseason.
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