Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nuggets’ Cam Johnson To Undergo MRI After Injuring Knee

December 23rd, 2025 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets have another injury concern heading into the holidays. Forward Cameron Johnson limped off the court during the fourth quarter against Dallas on Tuesday after injuring his right knee.

Johnson will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. He had started 27 games entering Tuesday’s contest, averaging 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 30.9 minutes per game. He was coming off a 20-point outing in a win over Utah on Monday.

Johnson was acquired from the Nets during the summer. Johnson is in the third year of a four-year, $94.5MM deal.

Denver is already down two starters with Christian Braun (ankle) and Aaron Gordon (hamstring) on the sidelines. Braun has been out since Nov. 12, while Gordon hasn’t played since Nov. 21.

If Johnson is out for an extended period, Denver will have to rely more heavily on Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown and Julian Strawther.

Trade Rumors: Sexton, Wolves, Pelicans, Hawks, Bagley

December 23rd, 2025 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Hornets are willing to discuss potential trades, they still hope they can contend for a play-in spot and aren’t looking to simply sell off veterans, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). According to Fischer, veteran guard Collin Sexton and his expiring $19MM contract looks like Charlotte’s most logical trade candidate.

Minnesota is one team that has done its homework on Sexton, Fischer says, explaining that the Timberwolves appear to be trying to get a sense of their range of options at the point guard spot as they seek an upgrade on their current options. While sources tell Fischer that the Wolves are adamant about not including budding star Jaden McDaniels in any deals, rival executives suspect the back-to-back conference finalists will be more aggressive on the trade market than most other Western contenders.

As Fischer explains, teams like the Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets, and Spurs aren’t considered likely to make in-season splashes, so the only other club currently in the top six of the West that figures to be actively seeking meaningful upgrades is the Lakers. And it remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to acquire the sort of three-and-D player they’d love to add.

Here are a few more NBA trade rumors:

As coveted as Pelicans forward Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III are, sources believe they’re unlikely to be moved at the trade deadline, writes Brett Siegel of Clutch Points. Rival scouts view Jose Alvarado, Saddiq Bey, Jordan Hawkins, and Jordan Poole as New Orleans’ more likely trade candidates, in that order, per Siegel.
Although the Hawks have checked in on Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, there has been no momentum in those talks and there’s a sense that Atlanta is more likely to target a lower-salary replacement if the team builds a deal around Kristaps Porzingis‘ expiring contract ahead of the deadline, says Siegel. One hypothetical proposal put forth by league personnel would see the Hawks target a package like Nikola Vucevic and Coby White from the Bulls, though there’s no indication that the two teams have explored that sort of trade, Siegel clarifies, noting that it’s just an example of the type of move that would likely appeal more to Atlanta than going after someone like Davis.
Siegel singles out Wizards big man Marvin Bagley III as a player to watch ahead of the deadline, writing that he has begun generating interest from teams looking to fortify their frontcourts.

Injury Notes: Lakers, Knicks, Daniels, Watson, McConnell

December 22nd, 2025 at 5:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided encouraging updates on injured guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on Monday, tweets Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group.

Doncic, who didn’t play in the second half of Saturday’s loss to the Clippers, has a lower left leg contusion and is considered day-to-day. The 26-year-old had the bruised area taped during the portion of Monday’s practice that was open to the media, Price notes.

Reaves was able to go through portions of Monday’s practice and is also considered day-to-day, Redick said. The fifth-year guard has missed the past three games with a left calf strain the team described as mild.

[UPDATE: Doncic is out Tuesday at Phoenix, but Reaves has been upgraded to questionable, the Lakers announced (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).]

Starting center Deandre Ayton should return to action on Tuesday, according to Price. Ayton won’t be listed on the team’s injury report after sitting out the past two contests due to a sore left elbow.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

The Knicks will be shorthanded on Tuesday, as Eastern Conference Player of the Week Jalen Brunson (right ankle injury management), defensive ace OG Anunoby (left ankle soreness) and backup big man Guerschon Yabusele (illness) have all been ruled out ahead of the contest at Minnesota, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Brunson missed a couple of games in mid-November due to a right ankle sprain.
Reigning Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels has been ruled out of the Hawks‘ rematch with Chicago on Tuesday due to right hip inflammation, according to Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks (Twitter link). It will be Daniels’ first absence of the 2025/26 campaign. Reserve forward/center Mouhamed Gueye is also on the injury report, having been listed as questionable with a right shoulder sprain.
Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, who was kneed in between the hip and rib areas last Monday, had a minor setback in terms of the pain he’s experiencing from the injury, head coach David Adelman said ahead of Saturday’s loss to Houston (Twitter link via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette). While Watson has been out most of the past three games with the right trunk contusion, it doesn’t sound like a long-term issue — Adelman said the former first-round pick had a 50% chance to play Saturday before he was ruled out.
Veteran Pacers guard T.J. McConnell will be sidelined for Monday’s game vs. Boston due to left knee soreness, as Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files relays (via Twitter). McConnell missed the first 10 games of the season with a strained hamstring, but had been active for the past 18 contests heading into Monday.

Nuggets’ Bates Undergoes Foot Surgery, Out At Least 12 Weeks

December 22nd, 2025 at 3:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Tamar Bates underwent surgery on Monday to repair a fracture in his left foot, according to the Nuggets, who announced (via Twitter) that the rookie guard will be sidelined a minimum of 12 weeks, which is the next time he’ll be reexamined.

Bates played a fairly modest role with Indiana for a couple of years prior to transferring to Missouri ahead of the 2023/24 season. The 6’4″ guard had much more success in his two-season stint with the Tigers — as a senior last year, Bates averaged 13.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals, with excellent shooting slash line of .508/.397/.946.

Bates didn’t hear his named called during June’s draft, but quickly agreed to a two-way contract with the Nuggets as an undrafted free agent. While the 22-year-old has yet to make his NBA debut, he has played well for Denver’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, averaging 19.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.5 SPG on .549/.441/.903 shooting in 13 games (33.2 MPG).

Due to the long-term injury, it’s possible the Nuggets might decide to waive Bates before his two-way salary becomes guaranteed next month, but they would lose his NBA rights if they go that route.

David Adelman Fined $35K Following Ejection Saturday

December 21st, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Nuggets head coach David Adelman has been fined $35K by the NBA after he was ejected from Saturday’s loss to the Rockets, the league announced (Twitter link).

According to the statement by the NBA, Adelman was fined for “directing inappropriate language toward game officials and failing to leave the court in a timely manner following his ejection.”

This marked Adelman’s first career ejection as a head coach. The first-year coach was irate midway through the fourth quarter after he believed that star Nikola Jokic should have been rewarded a foul, and stormed the court, yelling and pointing at one of the game’s referees while cursing at him.

“It felt like a reaction to the game earlier in the week. That’s what it felt like to me,” Adelman said after the game, per Logan Struck of SI. “They had one foul with five minutes to go in the second quarter, and I just felt like both teams were playing extremely hard, physical… Honestly, I was confused. And so I was just looking for answers, and it turns out I had to leave.”

The Rockets and Nuggets both ended the game with 20 personal fouls.

Western Notes: Monk, Ellis, Brooks, Nuggets, Jokic, Mitchell

December 20th, 2025 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings guard Malik Monk was a DNP-CD for the first time since the 2022/23 season on Thursday, not getting off the bench at all during the team’s 134-133 overtime loss in Portland. Explaining the decision after the game, head coach Doug Christie described Monk as the “odd man out” in the backcourt rotation as he sought to give Keon Ellis a larger role for defensive purposes.

“We were going with defense, but it’s a logjam,” Christie said, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “We’ve got a lot of guards, so whenever it was Keon being the odd man out, then it was Keon being out. Tonight, we were playing Keon, so Malik was out.”

With the Kings off to a 6-21 start this season, Christie acknowledged that he’s still searching for answers and is willing to experiment with the rotation in the hopes of turning things around. He also made it clear that “nothing is permanent,” though he added that he liked what he saw from Ellis, who played a season-high 32 minutes vs. Portland.

“We’ll give Keon a run and allow him to continue to develop with those guys,” Christie said. “He came in off the bench, I thought, and played fantastic with that bench unit. They did a really good job in the third quarter. It just kind of got away from us. We got stalled out a little bit, but they came back with the starters and Keon was a part of that group. … I thought those guys did a great job.”

We have more from around the Western Conference:

The NBA has rescinded the technical foul assessed to Suns forward Dillon Brooks in the second quarter of Thursday’s game vs. Golden State, the league announced (Twitter link). Brooks appeared to get the technical for something he said after making a layup and stumbling to the floor (video link via NBA.com). He’s still the league leader with eight technicals this season.
The Nuggets aren’t especially well positioned to be aggressive at this season’s trade deadline, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). Denver is hovering right around the luxury tax line, has few tradable draft picks, and lacks an obvious salary-matching candidate making mid-level money or more. Zeke Nnaji ($8.2MM) is the most expendable of the Nuggets’ players earning more than $5MM, but his contract – which has two more years left on it after this season – would have negative value.
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Thursday for the most career assists by an NBA center, Durando writes in another Denver Post story. Abdul-Jabbar compiled 5,660 assists across 20 NBA seasons; Jokic surpassed him in his 11th season, at age 30. “This is a time that I can be able to look back and appreciate all the years I’ve had to play this game with him,” teammate Jamal Murray said of Jokic. “It’s special. Passing Kareem in anything is pretty cool. So I think it just speaks to his greatness and how unselfish he is.”
Thunder wing Ajay Mitchell spoke to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints about the experience of winning a championship as an NBA rookie, whether he has thought about vying for the Most Improved Player award, and why he views the toe injury that cost him three months last season as a positive. “I know it sounds crazy, but this was my first major injury ever, and looking back on everything we went through, it made me realize how special being a part of this organization truly is,” Mitchell said, explaining that general manager Sam Presti was with him “every step of the way before and after surgery.”

And-Ones: MVP Race, Expansion, NBA Cup, All-Star Voting

December 19th, 2025 at 9:20am CST by Luke Adams

If the results of the first Most Valuable Player straw poll conducted this season by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps are any indication, a pair of Northwest Division stars could be on their way to one of the tightest MVP races in recent NBA history.

Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 57 chose Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as their early MVP of 2025/26, while 42 selected Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Gilgeous-Alexander earned 865 total points, narrowly edging out Jokic (822). Both players were well clear of third-place finisher Luka Doncic of the Lakers, who had 432 points and earned the only other first-place vote.

The Thunder’s 25-2 start to the season has helped give Gilgeous-Alexander the early edge, but he has also been even better than he was when he won his first MVP award in 2024/25, with career-best shooting percentages of 55.9% from the floor and 43.2% on three-pointers. He’s averaging 32.4 points per game despite playing just 33.0 minutes per night, his lowest mark since he was a rookie in ’18/19.

Although Jokic’s scoring average lags behind SGA’s, his 29.6 points per game would be a career high, and he’s leading the NBA in rebounds (12.3) and assists (10.9) per game while shooting a remarkable 61.2% from the floor and 42.6% from beyond the arc. His Nuggets have the second-best record in the West (20-6).

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic identifies four factors that may determine whether or not the NBA announces plans for expansion at some point in 2026, while John Hollinger of The Athletic considers what exactly it would look like if the league established new franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas. As Hollinger points out, a 32-team league seems likely to result in a move to four-team divisions, which would make sense for numerous reasons. For one, each division could be a group for NBA Cup purposes, with the division winners advancing to the knockout round. Plus, if each team played its division rivals four times apiece, other clubs in its conference three times, and clubs from the opposing twice, it would work out to an 80-game schedule (the remaining two games would be added based on the NBA Cup results).
Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium is being considered as a possible home for the NBA Cup’s championship game in 2026, ESPN’s Shams Charania said during an appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link). Reporting earlier this week indicated that the league is strongly weighing the idea of moving the Cup final to a new neutral site after Las Vegas hosted it in each of the past three Decembers.
The NBA’s All-Star voting, which began on Wednesday, will run through January 14, the league announced this week (Twitter link). Fan votes make up 50% of the total vote for All-Star starters, with players (25%) and media members (25%) also weighing in.

Stein’s Latest: Kings, Harden, Kessler, Rozier, Jones, Payton

December 18th, 2025 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

If executives around the NBA were asked which team is viewed as the most likely seller ahead of this season’s trade deadline, many would name the Kings first, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

“Active is the word I would use to describe them,” one exec said of Sacramento.

Few players on the Kings’ roster are off limits, with the team seemingly open to inquiries on anyone outside of fourth-year forward Keegan Murray and rookie Nique Clifford, Stein writes.

Sacramento has “certainly” made veterans Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan available, Stein continues, though the club is reportedly telling teams that it has no intention of attaching draft assets – or highly regarded guard Keon Ellis – to any of its higher-paid vets in order to accommodate a deal.

Stein has more to share from around the NBA:

A number of teams are keeping a close eye on Clippers guard James Harden, a source tells Stein. Given L.A.’s disappointing record, Harden’s age (36), and his contract situation (he holds a partially guaranteed player option for 2026/27), the former MVP would make an intriguing trade candidate if the Clippers are open to moving him. Stein points out that the Timberwolves are among the teams seeking a play-maker on the trade market.
Echoing recent reporting from Grant Afseth, Stein says the Pacers have registered interest in Walker Kessler, though he adds that the Jazz have shown no signs that they want to trade the big man ahead of his restricted free agency.
Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA haven’t confirmed one way or another whether the Heat would be permitted to trade Terry Rozier while he remains on leave following his arrest in connection to a federal gambling investigation. However, Stein hears that the Heat are “quietly confident” that the league wouldn’t block them from making a deal that includes Rozier’s $26MM+ expiring contract for salary-matching purposes.
Nuggets two-way forward Spencer Jones is being viewed as a near lock to have his contract converted into a standard deal later in the season, Stein reports. Denver has an open spot on its 15-man roster but is navigating the luxury tax line. Still, the club seems likely to promote Jones, who has been active for all 25 Nuggets games so far and has averaged 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on .564/.448/.682 shooting in 10 games since entering the starting lineup.
Like big man Christian Koloko, veteran guard Elfrid Payton has also recently joined the Spurs‘ G League affiliate in the hopes of making an impression on NBA evaluators at this weekend’s NBAGL Showcase, Stein notes.

Nuggets Notes: Brown, Valanciunas, Watson, Jones, Strawther

December 17th, 2025 at 4:29pm CST by Luke Adams

With several players missing due to injuries and both of their centers on the sidelines after having fouled out, the Nuggets relied on their depth to secure a 128-125 overtime win over Houston on Monday. Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and second-year forward Spencer Jones joined Jamal Murray and Cameron Johnson in Denver’s closing lineup.

“This is why they brought all of us in this summer, right?” Brown said after the victory, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). “For this exact situation. People go down. You never really have a season when everyone is just fully healthy for 82 games.”

Brown and Hardaway, who both rank among the Nuggets’ top six players in total minutes so far this season, signed minimum-salary contracts with the team as free agents over the summer. The other major offseason depth addition was center Jonas Valanciunas, who fouled out on Monday but has been an important rotation piece in his role as Nikola Jokic‘s backup this fall, Durando writes in another Denver Post story.

As Durando observes, Valanciunas has already appeared in more games (25) than the player for whom he was traded (Dario Saric) played last season (16). And while he’s only averaging 12.8 minutes per game, the veteran big man has made the most of his limited role, with 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per night. The Nuggets are still being outscored with Jokic off the floor, but their net rating when the three-time MVP is on the bench (-1.2) is the best it has been since 2020/21 by a significant margin.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

With Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun out, the Nuggets haven’t missed a beat offensively, largely due to the way that role players like Jones and Peyton Watson have stepped up, Durando writes for The Denver Post. Watson has averaged 14.2 points per game on .529/.429/.694 shooting as a starter, while Jones has put up 8.2 PPG on .564/.448/.583 shooting in that role. The Nuggets’ lineup with those two alongside Jokic, Murray, and Johnson has a +19.4 net rating and a staggering 136.9 offensive rating in 143 minutes. “I did not expect us to score the ball like we have,” head coach David Adelman admitted. Both Watson and Jones will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.
Watson exited Monday’s game due to what the team referred to as a right trunk contusion. “It was bone on bone,” Adelman said after the win (Twitter link via Durando). “… It could be totally fine tomorrow. But it hurt him. It was one of those stingers that he just couldn’t get himself warmed up again. … Nothing long-term as far as I understand. Just probably a bone bruise.” Watson told Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link) on Tuesday that he was kneed in between the hip and rib areas and that it hurts to do things like laugh and cough, but he has no structural damage.
Nuggets wing Julian Strawther was available to play on Monday after being inactive for 12 consecutive games due to a back injury (Twitter link via Benedetto). However, he was a DNP-CD. Strawther has averaged just 7.9 minutes per game in nine outings so far this season after playing 21.3 MPG in 65 games in 2024/25.

Ime Udoka Fined $25K For Comments About Officiating

December 17th, 2025 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has fined Rockets head coach Ime Udoka $25K for his public criticism of the officiating after Monday’s overtime loss to the Nuggets, per a league press release (Twitter link).

Speaking to reporters after Monday’s game, Udoka referred to it as “the most poorly officiated game I’ve seen in a long time” (Twitter video link via Vanessa Richardson).

“Two (referees) have no business being out there and the crew chief was acting star-struck,” Udoka said. “You’re seeing all kinds of inconsistent calls.”

While the Nuggets were whistled for more total fouls (28) than the Rockets (25) on the night, the league’s last two minute report for the game indicated that the only three incorrect calls made in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime benefited Denver.

That report stated that Rockets forward Kevin Durant shouldn’t have been called for a foul on Nikola Jokic with 1:40 left in overtime (video link); Nuggets wing Tim Hardaway Jr. should have been whistled for a loose ball foul on Alperen Sengun with 1:08 remaining in overtime (video link); and a foul was incorrectly called on Rockets guard Amen Thompson with 47 seconds left in OT (video link).

Those Durant and Thompson fouls resulted in four made free throws by Jokic and Jamal Murray, which represented the difference in a game that Denver won by three points.