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Nuggets Notes: Depth, Jokic, Braun, Gordon, Murray, Holmes

January 6th, 2026 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

With Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon back in action on Sunday in Brooklyn following extended injury absences, the Nuggets submitted a disappointing effort that head coach David Adelman referred to as “embarrassing” and “unprofessional,” resulting in a 12-point loss to the Nets.

A day later, all five of Denver’s regular starters were inactive on Monday in Philadelphia for the second game of a back-to-back, as Adelman deployed a starting lineup of Peyton Watson, Jalen Pickett, Bruce Brown, Spencer Jones, and DaRon Holmes, with Zeke Nnaji, Hunter Tyson, Julian Strawther, and Curtis Jones coming off the bench. The team’s effort represented a 180 after Sunday’s dud, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic, as Denver pulled off a shocking 125-124 upset in overtime.

Pickett, who had played double-digit minutes just 12 times this season entering Monday’s game, led the way by scoring a career-high 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting in 42 minutes. Nnaji (21 points, eight rebounds) and Tyson (14 points) also had their best games of the season. Those performances from reserves represent a very encouraging sign for a team that Adelman says is in “survival mode” with star center Nikola Jokic out, according to Jones.

“The thing is that we don’t want to take too much of a fall in the standings,” general manager Jon Wallace told The Athletic prior to Monday’s victory. “I think we did a good job of giving ourselves a cushion at the beginning of the season, knowing that the unexpected can happen. But, at the same time, we have to face the reality that we might take a slight fall. But I think we have enough guys and enough leaders in that locker room to hold the line, until we get back to full strength.”

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

The Nuggets are feeling good about Jokic’s recovery from a hyperextended knee and are hopeful that he’ll be back in action by the All-Star break at the latest, team sources tell Jones.
Braun and Gordon were on “pretty strict” minutes limits when they returned on Sunday, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Braun played 24 minutes in his first game back from a sprained ankle, while Gordon came off the bench and logged 21 minutes after being out since November 21 with a strained hamstring. Restrictions will likely remain in place for a few games as Braun and Gordon work their way back to full strength.
Jamal Murray missed a game for just the second time this season on Monday, with an injury designation of a left ankle sprain. He has been playing through “mild pain” in that ankle in recent weeks, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “He’s played limitless minutes. … It’s not just the minutes guys play. It’s what they’re doing in those minutes,” Adelman said. “The responsibility has been crazy. His ankle flared up. Even (Sunday), I thought he fought through it. The fourth quarter, I kept thinking I was gonna get him out, and we kept kind of staying in the game. So if anybody needed (a game off), it was him. Not to mention all the other small injuries for that guy. He’s beat up.”
After making just two garbage-time appearances in Denver’s first 31 games of the season, Holmes has appeared in each of the past five, making three starts and averaging 18.0 minutes per night. Holmes, a first-round pick in 2024 who missed his entire rookie season due to an Achilles tear, spoke to Spencer Davies of RG.org about finally getting an opportunity to play NBA minutes.

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.

Nuggets Notes: Watson, Johnson, Braun, Jokic, Jones, Brown, Strawther

November 13th, 2025 at 5:48pm CST by Rory Maher

After failing to come to terms on a rookie scale extension before the season began, Nuggets forward Peyton Watson will head to restricted free agency in the 2026 offseason, assuming he’s given a qualifying offer. He’ll have new representation when that time comes, having joined Klutch Sports Group, the agency announced (via Twitter).

As Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette tweets, Watson was previously represented by Excel Sports. The 23-year-old has averaged 6.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 21.1 minutes per contest through 11 games this season.

We have several more items on the Nuggets:

A pair of starters were forced to leave Wednesday’s win over the Clippers due to injuries, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Offseason addition Cameron Johnson exited in the first quarter with a right arm strain, while Christian Braun sustained a left ankle injury late in the first period and briefly tried to play through it before exiting in the second. Both players were ruled out at halftime. “Obviously, whatever happened wasn’t good enough for them to come back out and play the third quarter, so that’s concerning,” head coach David Adelman said after the team’s sixth consecutive win. “But I really don’t know, and I don’t think they do either. We have a full day here (in Los Angeles) tomorrow to kind of get all that stuff sorted out, which will be good for me, too. Because if they are out, or if they’re in, we have to figure out a way to make our rotation make sense. … So I’m hoping for the best.”
Entering Wednesday’s game, which was the second night of a back-to-back, the Nuggets were 0-4 (including the playoffs) when Nikola Jokic scored 50-plus points. After an incredibly efficient 55-point outing against the Clips — he shot 18-of-23 from the field, 5-of-6 on three-pointers, and 14-of-16 from the foul line in just 34 minutes — the three-time MVP was more focused on the result than his individual performance. “I think I scored, a couple of times, more than 50, and we lost every time. I think this is the first time I scored 50 that we won. So it’s a good feeling,” Jokic said, per Durando. The Serbian center has been on a remarkable tear during Denver’s six-game winning streak, notes Beth Harris of The Associated Press, averaging 35.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 11.0 assists and 1.8 steals on .739/.556/.857 shooting over that span (33.3 minutes).
Second-year forward Spencer Jones, who is on a two-way contract, has emerged as a defensive specialist for the Nuggets, according to Durando. Jones, who did an admirable job of slowing down James Harden on Wednesday, is fully aware that his playing time might be limited from game to game. “You just have to come in, guard one of the better players out there,” he said. “You don’t really know when you’re gonna come in, when you’re gonna go out, what games you’re gonna play. So it’s just always being ready.”
Bruce Brown‘s role with the Nuggets is different than it was when he helped the team win its first title in 2023, Durando writes for The Denver Post. The veteran guard operated on the ball more the last time around, and he acknowledges he’s still getting used to his new responsibilities. “Little different. I’m still getting adjusted to it,” Brown said of round two with Denver. “Obviously, when you come back to a situation where you were before, you think it’s gonna be exactly the same, but it’s not, obviously. But all I care about is winning. I’m trying to put another banner up. So I’m still getting adjusted to it. Sometimes you might see me come out of the game a little frustrated, just because I’m still getting used to it.”
Free agent additions Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. have squeezed out younger members of the rotation, such as third-year wing Julian Strawther, who is playing just 8.1 minutes per game after averaging 21.3 MPG in 2024/25. Jokic has been pleased with Strawther’s effort when he’s had a chance to play, as Durando relays. “He stays ready,” Jokic said. “He’s aggressive when he comes in the game, and that’s a good thing. He’s trying on defense. And I think that’s the mindset that he should have.”

Nuggets Notes: Two-Big Lineup, Braun, Watson, Murray, Jones, Delk

October 16th, 2025 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

After being named the Nuggets‘ permanent head coach in the spring, David Adelman has shown during the preseason that he’s willing to experiment with unusual lineup combinations to see what clicks, writes Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.

One of those lineups has seen centers Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas share the court. Adelman, who has used the two big men together for just a couple minutes in the second quarter in each of the past two games, admitted prior to Tuesday’s preseason matchup with Chicago that the unit is a work in progress, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required).

“I thought it was hilarious to watch it on tape,” Adelman said. “We haven’t had a ton of time (practicing with) those guys. They’ve scripted together, but they haven’t played together. But it’s kind of like, rip the Band-Aid off and just see what happens.

“… If they end up playing together a lot, we’ll slowly but surely add a package for those two guys,” he continued. “And not just for them, but to make the other three guys comfortable. I’ve made this point about Houston. Offensively, with the two bigs, (Alperen) Sengun was the point person, and (Steven) Adams just crushed the glass. So it’s like, our personalities are a little bit different. Val can crash the glass, but he’s also skilled. So I have to find a way to get those guys comfortable in space so they’re not right on top of each other.”

We have more on the Nuggets:

Both eligible for rookie scale extensions until Monday, fourth-year players Christian Braun and Peyton Watson have shown this month that they’re still adding new elements to their games, Durando writes in another story for The Denver Post. Braun has exhibited an increased willingness to take the ball to the basket, while Watson has operated on the ball more frequently this fall than in the past, Durando notes. Braun and Watson will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2026 if they don’t sign new deals before the season begins.
Jamal Murray has a history of starting seasons slow, but he looks well positioned to change that narrative this year, Benedetto writes for The Denver Gazette. Murray scored 30 points on 18 shots in Tuesday’s win over Chicago and appears to be “physically and mentally” ready for the season, says Benedetto.
Within the same story, Benedetto observes that two-way player Spencer Jones has frequently been used as the 10th man in Denver’s rotation this preseason, ahead of players like Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther, and DaRon Holmes. The former undrafted rookie out of Stanford, entering his second season on a two-way contract with the Nuggets, has been lauded by Adelman for his defensive versatility.
The Nuggets have hired former NBA guard Tony Delk as a scout, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Delk, who appeared in 545 regular season games for eight teams from 1996-2006, most recently served as a pro personnel scout for the Mavericks.

Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Valanciunas, Holmes, Jones

July 13th, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic doesn’t plan to agree to an extension this summer, but there are “no signs” he’s considering leaving Denver, Sam Amick of The Athletic stated during a recent appearance on Sactown Sports 1140 (YouTube link). However, Amick warns that things can always change, saying the organization shouldn’t feel too comfortable about Jokic until the new contract is official.

“It guarantees now that Joker has another decision to make next summer,” Amick said. “You can’t tell me, if this next coming season is a train wreck for the Nuggets, that that won’t be an issue. Now yes, he can sign a four-year extension if he waits, more money, it lines up potentially better with his next extension when he’s older so there’s plenty of plausible deniability for why he did it, but they also are coming off a year where they fired their coach and the GM, and yes, they got to the second round, but those guys try to win championships.”

Amick praised Denver’s new front office, saying they’re “off to a really strong start,” but added that Nuggets fans would be more comfortable if Jokic had taken the extension now. The three-time MVP will reportedly hold off extension plans until 2026, when he’ll be eligible for a four-year deal worth a projected $285.4MM instead of the three years at $206.4MM that’s currently on the table.

There’s more on the Nuggets:

Denver can’t afford to let Jonas Valanciunas out of his contract to play in Europe due to a lack of other options on the free agent market, Marc Stein of The Stein Line told Adam Mares of DNVR Sports (Twitter video link). “The other 29 teams are operating under the strong belief that Al Horford will end up going to Golden State,” Stein said. “… (The Nuggets) don’t have someone to pivot to. They don’t have a shot at Horford.”
DaRon Holmes made steady progress after tearing his right Achilles tendon during last year’s Summer League, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The rookie big man was able to resume running and pregame shooting workouts by December, taking at least 200 three-pointers per day unless trainers advised him to rest. After conducting the operation, Holmes’ surgeon said he might be able to return by March, but the team never moved away from its plan for him to sit out the entire season. “I was met by a sense of determination and optimism on his part,” said his business manager Mitch Brown. “It really struck me that his mentality as a 22-year-old kid was so strong, dealing with something like this.”
Spencer Jones, the only two-way player that Denver kept from last year’s roster, continues to impress at Summer League, Durando adds in a separate story. The 24-year-old small forward had 19 points, six rebounds and two steals in Saturday’s loss to Minnesota.

Nuggets’ Spencer Jones Accepts Two-Way QO

July 3rd, 2025 at 7:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Restricted free agent forward Spencer Jones is back under contract with the Nuggets on a new two-way deal, according to NBA.com’s transaction log. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) confirms that Jones accepted the two-way qualifying offer issued by Denver over the weekend.

Jones, who signed a two-way contract with the Nuggets last July after going undrafted out of Stanford, appeared in just 20 NBA regular season games as a rookie, averaging 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per contest. He knocked down only 11-of-34 field goal attempts (32.4%), including 1-of-17 (5.9%) from the beyond the arc.

While Jones didn’t make an impact in a small sample size for the NBA squad, the Nuggets were encouraged by what they saw from him in the G League. In 21 games for the Grand Rapids Gold, the 24-year-old averaged 14.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 30.5 minutes per game, with much stronger shooting percentages of 51.8% from the field and 45.3% on three-pointers.

Those shooting numbers are more reflective of Jones’ skill set than his NBA stats. He left Stanford as the program’s all-time leader with 315 career made three-pointers.

The Nuggets now have a pair of players on two-way contracts, with Jones joining newcomer Tamar Bates. They’ll each be eligible to appear in up to 50 regular season games for Denver in 2025/26.

Suns’ Gillepsie, Lakers’ Koloko Among Two-Way Players Receiving QOs

June 29th, 2025 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

A series of players who finished the 2024/25 season on two-way contracts have received qualifying offers from their respective teams, making them free agents, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac. Those players are as follows (all links go to Twitter):

Isaiah Crawford, Kings (link)
Collin Gillespie, Suns link)
Harrison Ingram, Spurs (link)
Daniss Jenkins, Pistons (link)
Spencer Jones, Nuggets (link)
Christian Koloko, Lakers (link)
Riley Minix, Spurs (link)
Jacob Toppin, Hawks (link)
Luke Travers, Cavaliers (link)
Tristan Vukcevic, Wizards (link)
Keaton Wallace, Hawks (link)

In each case, the player’s qualifying offer is equivalent to another one-year, two-way deal, with a small portion (approximately $85K) guaranteed.

While a rival team could technically sign any of these players to an offer sheet during free agency, we essentially never see that happen with two-way free agents. Most of them end up either accepting their two-way QOs or agreeing to new standard contracts with their current teams.

Gillespie, who turned 26 on Wednesday, is among the players who made a strong case for a promotion to a standard contract this past season. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game for Phoenix across 33 appearances (nine starts) and made 43.3% of his three-point tries.

Koloko (2.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 37 games), Vukcevic (9.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and .496/.373/.776 shooting in 35 games), and Wallace (5.4 PPG and 2.6 APG in 31 games) also played rotation minutes for their respective clubs in 2024/25.

Sunday is the deadline for teams to make qualifying offers to players who are eligible for restricted free agency.

Nuggets Sign Spencer Jones To Two-Way Contract

July 30th, 2024 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 30: The Nuggets have officially signed Jones to a two-way contract, they confirmed today in a press release.

JULY 19: The Nuggets will fill their open two-way contract slot by signing undrafted rookie free agent Spencer Jones to a two-way deal, reports Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link).

A 6’7″ forward, Jones spent all five of his college seasons at Stanford from 2019-24, starting 139 of his 146 games during that time. As a super-senior last season, he averaged 11.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 steals in 29.1 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .438/.409/.645.

Jones was a 39.7% three-point shooter on 5.4 attempts per contest across his five seasons with the Cardinal, setting a school record with 315 career made three-pointers. Denver likes his combination of size, skill, and shooting, according to Durando.

Jones was on the Trail Blazers’ Summer League roster in Las Vegas. He came off the bench in Portland’s first game last Saturday, but was ruled out for Monday’s contest due to an illness and hasn’t played since.

Denver filled its other two-way slots earlier this month by signing two other undrafted rookies, Trey Alexander and PJ Hall. Once they complete their reported signings of Jones, Russell Westbrook, and DeAndre Jordan, the Nuggets will have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts and three on two-way deals, so they’ll essentially be set for the regular season.

A player who spends the entire 2024/25 season on a two-way deal will be eligible to appear in up to 50 NBA regular season games and will earn a salary of $578,577.

Eastern Notes: Cavs, Atkinson, Bulls, Sixers, Knicks, Hawks

June 21st, 2024 at 8:38pm CST by Luke Adams

After previously reporting that James Borrego was viewed as the frontrunner for the Cavaliers‘ head coaching job, Marc Stein says (via Twitter) he heard multiple times on Friday that Kenny Atkinson‘s candidacy for the job is “gaining steam.”

Atkinson was identified early in the Cavs’ search process as the potential frontrunner, but multiple reporters – including Stein and Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com – have said in recent weeks that Borrego appeared to have the edge. Those two former head coaches have been linked to the job most frequently and it certainly seems like one of them will end up being hired, but that’s not a lock. According to Stein, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori also remains in the mix for Cleveland.

If the Cavaliers wrap up their search and make a decision soon, it will have an impact on their division rivals in Detroit. Both Borrego and Nori are expected to interview for the Pistons‘ head coaching vacancy.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Bulls‘ acquisition of Josh Giddey signals that the team isn’t sold on the idea of a Lonzo Ball comeback, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, who adds that director of player development and shooting coach Peter Patton has an “important project on his hands” in Chicago’s new lead guard, a career 31.0% three-point shooter. In his own look at the trade, Jon Greenberg of The Athletic contends that it’s “inexcusable” for the Bulls to make this kind of deal without acquiring any draft picks.
USC guard Isaiah Collier visited the Sixers this week for a pre-draft workout, a source tells Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). Once considered a possible top pick in this year’s draft, Collier has slipped to No. 23 on ESPN’s big board, so he could be available for Philadelphia at No. 16.
Yongxi Cui (China), David Jones (Memphis), Spencer Jones (Stanford), Ajay Mitchell (UCSB), and Antonio Reeves (Kentucky) were among the players to work out for the Knicks on Friday, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Bondy adds (via Twitter) that Arizona’s Keshad Johnson worked out for New York earlier this month.
The Hawks are hiring Ben Peterson away from the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and will make him their VP of player health and performance, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). Pelissero’s report on Peterson, who was said to be “well-regarded” in San Francisco, has been confirmed by Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).