The Nuggets just filled the hole they didn't want to have. Chris Haynes broke the news that DeMar DeRozan, a six-time All-Star, intends to sign with Denver, and within the hour it was official: Shams Charania confirmed the deal at one year, $3.9 million.
DeRozan hit the open market after Sacramento waived him earlier this offseason to shed salary, with only $10 million of his $25.7 million deal guaranteed for 2026-27, per ESPN. Miami and Denver both circled him, but the Heat ultimately spent their money on Klay Thompson instead, clearing the runway for the Nuggets to close.
Chris Haynes reported DeRozan had already been talking directly with Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray, and that he was itching to finally play for a genuine contender after years of good-not-great Bulls and Kings teams. That's the pitch that won out — Denver's staff reportedly sold him on playing alongside Jokic as more of a scoring complement than a lead option, and it worked.
The timing matters. This comes days after the Nuggets lost Peyton Watson in the sprawling five-team sign-and-trade that sent him to Cleveland and helped the Cavaliers bring James Harden back on a three-year, $97 million contract. Denver needed a body, and reportedly a motivated one — per ClutchPoints' relay of Brett Siegel's reporting before the deal came together, the Nuggets were "definitely motivated to get a deal done" specifically because they'd just watched Watson walk.
Jokic addressed the Watson trade himself, saying he was happy for his former teammate even while acknowledging the Nuggets will miss his energy on both ends. DeRozan doesn't replace Watson's defense, but he replaces something else — a guy who can just get a bucket in the halfcourt when possession stalls, which has occasionally been Denver's Achilles' heel in the playoffs.
Nikola Jokic reacted to losing former teammate Peyton Watson in the Cleveland trade.
The bill for all this is getting steep. Cap expert Bobby Marks noted the Nuggets now carry 14 players on guaranteed contracts with a projected tax penalty around $75 million — roughly $3.15 million above the second apron. That's the price of chasing a title with Jokic still in his prime: pay whatever it takes and figure out the accounting later. For a 36-year-old DeRozan, minimum money on a contender beats the alternative, and for Denver, it's a calculated bet that a proven closer on a cheap deal is worth every apron penalty that comes with it.