Pre-Draft Outlook
The Nuggets are bereft of picks as their first-rounder went to Orlando as part of the overall price paid for the Aaron Gordon trade in 2021. That has worked out well, by the way. The bad news: Denver desperately needs an infusion of depth, which a first-rounder would’ve provided. This team leaned too heavily on aging star Russell Westbrook in the postseason, and it showed.
The Way To Go
The Nuggets will probably sit this one out, and not by choice. They don’t have many assets to trade to get into the first round, and even if they did, it would make no sense to swap a proven player — Michael Porter Jr. for example — in a package for a late first-rounder. Most likely, they’ll just let last year’s first-rounder, center DaRon Holmes, recover from missing his entire rookie season after Achilles surgery.
— Shaun Powell
Here’s a quick look at Denver’s current roster entering the Draft:
Under Contract
G: Christian Braun
G: Jamal Murray
G: Jalen Pickett
G: Julian Strawther
G: Peyton Watson
F: Aaron Gordon
F: DaRon Holmes II
F: Michael Porter Jr.
F: Hunter Tyson
F/C: Zeke Nnaji
C:Nikola Jokić
Free Agents
G: Trey Alexander
G: Russell Westbrook
F: Vlatko Čančar
F: Spencer Jones
F/C: Dario Šarić
C: PJ Hall
C: DeAndre Jordan