Nuggets focus on depth, defense in 2025 offseason overhaul
nuggets-2025-offseason-roundup
DENVER — With training camp approaching, the Denver Nuggets have nearly completed a summer reset that emphasized bench support and salary flexibility while leaving their core of Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon intact.
Front-office and coaching changes
Six days before the 2024-25 regular season ended, Denver dismissed general manager Calvin Booth and head coach Michael Malone. Long-time executive Ben Tenzer was elevated to lead basketball operations, and assistant David Adelman was promoted to head coach. The internal hires signaled confidence in the roster after the club finished the year with a win streak, upset the Clippers in the first round and pushed the eventual champion Thunder to seven games.
Free-agent additions
Bruce Brown — one year, minimum salary (minimum exception)
Tim Hardaway Jr. — one year, minimum salary (minimum exception)
Kessler Edwards — one year, minimum salary, non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 (minimum exception)
Trades
Cameron Johnson arrived from Brooklyn in exchange for Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick.
Jonas Valančiūnas was acquired from Sacramento for Dario Šarić.
Draft
Denver did not hold a 2025 draft pick.
Two-way contracts
Tamar Bates — one year, $85,300 guaranteed (rising to $318,218 at season start)
Curtis Jones — one year, $85,300 guaranteed (rising to $318,218 at season start)
Spencer Jones — one year, $85,300 guaranteed
Departures
Trey Alexander (Pelicans), Vlatko Čančar (Olimpia Milano), PJ Hall (Grizzlies), DeAndre Jordan (unsigned), Russell Westbrook (unsigned).
Cap snapshot
• Team salary: approximately $188.3 million
• Operating above the $154.6 million cap and the $187.9 million luxury-tax line
• No hard cap in place
• Full $5.685 million taxpayer mid-level exception unused
• Two trade exceptions available, the largest worth $6.88 million
Why Denver moved Porter
Porter’s maximum contract and defensive limitations prompted the front office to send him to the Nets. Johnson, owed roughly $44 million over the next two seasons, provides similar scoring (18.8 PPG, 39.0 percent from three in 2024-25) and stronger perimeter defense while freeing room for Valančiūnas’ $10.4 million salary.
Reinforcing the bench
Brown returns to the sixth-man role he played during the 2023 championship run after uneven stops with the Pacers, Raptors and Pelicans. Hardaway offers shooting (36.1 percent career from deep) and positional versatility at a bargain price.
Backing up Jokić
Valančiūnas, a productive low-post scorer and rebounder, is expected to trim Jokić’s workload after the MVP averaged a career-high 36.7 minutes last season. Despite offseason interest from Panathinaikos, the Lithuanian center confirmed he will report to Denver.
What’s left to do
The Nuggets have 14 guaranteed contracts and can add a 15th player, likely on a non-guaranteed minimum deal to maintain flexibility; Exhibit 10 forward Kessler Edwards is a leading candidate. Incentives in Johnson’s and Gordon’s contracts place the club less than $3 million from the first tax apron, so management is expected to avoid moves that trigger a hard cap.
Extension watch
Jokić and Johnson are extension-eligible but are unlikely to sign new deals before 2026. Attention shifts to fourth-year guard Christian Braun and forward Peyton Watson. Braun, who averaged 15.4 points and hit 39.7 percent from three as a starter last season, is the priority. Sources indicate Denver hopes to keep a four-year offer near the $85-90 million range to limit future tax exposure.
As camp nears, Denver’s roster is largely settled: a reinforced second unit, a less expensive starting forward in Johnson, and a true backup center in Valančiūnas—all aimed at easing the load on Jokić while keeping the franchise competitive in the West.
Source: Hoops Rumors
