Top 3 Priorities for Denver Nuggets During 2026 NBA Offseason
On a night when the Atlanta Hawks' season ended with a 51-point beating from the New York Knicks, the Denver Nuggets may have managed to outdo them on the "embarrassing closeout losses" scale.
The Minnesota Timberwolves played Thursday's Game 6 without Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu, and they still bullied their way to a 110-98 victory.
And the Nuggets' 2025-26 season is now over.
After entering it with title aspirations, Denver could easily be seen as one of the NBA's most disappointing teams. They were seventh in the league in regular-season net rating and 21st in defensive rating. They got embarrassed by a lower seed in the first round.
Yes, injuries had their say. Nikola Jokiฤ, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson all missed significant time. Gordon and Watson didn't play in Thursday's Game 6.
But even with that context in mind, Denver came up well shy of its potential. And that could mean a dramatic summer.
Given the Nuggets' early exits from each of the last three postseasons, few would bat an eye over anything short of a Jokiฤ trade. But it may be difficult to truly overhaul the roster through trades.
The last two front offices have already spent pretty much every available trade asset. So, what should be the priorities in this between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place offseason? The answer is below.
3. Nail the Draft
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The Nuggets have already unloaded nine future draft picks that have yet to convey, but they have their first-rounder in 2026. And though it's not easy to find difference-makers in the 20s, it's imperative they do it this time.
Christian Braun looked like a hit last year, but his value plummeted in 2025-26. Peyton Watson may be, but he looks ready to bolt in restricted free agency. The rest of the younger players they've picked up through the draft (or in draft-night trades) are either gone or have almost never looked like NBA rotation players.
That list includes Collin Gillespie and Bones Hyland (both gone), Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, Zeke Nnaji, Hunter Tyson and DaRon Holmes.
That many whiffs has taken a huge toll on the team's depth, and it's a big part of why Denver continues to fail in the postseason.
The younger players can't take on real responsibility in the regular season, and the older ones continue to look broken down, exhausted or both in April and May.
It is imperative that the Nuggets find someone who can contribute (and soon) with the 26th pick. Preferably, it'll be someone who can help to make up the growing athleticism deficit Denver has against most opponents.
2. Add Athleticism
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The lack of length and athleticism (or players who have both) on Denver's roster is often jarring. Minnesota wasn't the first team to expose the Nuggets on that front.
In theory, Gordon still provides some, but he's rarely available. And when he is, he often plays more like a tank than a jet. By the time next season starts, he'll be 31.
Watson obviously provides some too. And he could be the team's future rim protector (something that's critical from the forward position, given Jokiฤ's lack of ability and interest to take up that mantle). But again, he's a restricted free agent already garnering interest from big-market teams.
Denver may not have a lot of flexibility this offseasonโthe books are loaded with big contracts and the asset cupboard is pretty sparseโbut it absolutely has to find more athleticism.
That could mean targeting young free agents who struggled to live up to expectations at their first NBA stop. It could mean attaching some first-round pick swaps to Gordon, Braun or even Jamal Murray and swinging for the fences.
Somehow, if the Nuggets are going to have any shot at competing for another title while Jokiฤ is on the roster, they have to find players who can compete with younger teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs on a physical level.
1. Re-Sign Peyton Watson
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Watson hiring Rich Paul earlier this season and failing to play a single postseason minute while recovering from a hamstring strain naturally has Nuggets fans wondering if he's already thinking about his future with another team.
But the most obvious answer (or at least part of the answer) to priority No. 2 is priority No. 1.
Because Watson is a restricted free agent, Denver can match whatever offer sheet he signs. After all it put into his development, and given the athleticism deficit throughout the rest of the roster, letting him walk now would be borderline disastrous.
Even if ownership is adamant about avoiding an onerous luxury-tax bill and re-signing Watson means a Cameron Johnson or Braun trade could be on the way, bringing Watson back feels like a borderline must.
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