DENVER, United States — DeMar DeRozan has agreed to join the Denver Nuggets on a one-year contract worth the veteran minimum of $3.9 million, according to a person with knowledge of the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday. The agreement has not yet been officially announced.
- DeMar DeRozan has agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Denver Nuggets.
- The six-time All-Star is entering his 18th NBA season and will play for his fifth team.
- Denver adds DeRozan after trading young wing Peyton Watson to Cleveland in a four-team deal.
- The move comes as the Nuggets look to remain competitive around star center Nikola Jokic.
DeMar DeRozan agrees to Nuggets deal
DeRozan’s move to Denver adds one of the league’s most experienced veteran scorers to a Nuggets roster that has undergone significant changes during the offseason. The 36-year-old guard is entering his 18th NBA season and will become a new veteran presence in Denver’s backcourt.
The agreement was disclosed by a person familiar with the deal who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been announced publicly. The contract is expected to pay DeRozan the veteran minimum of $3.9 million for one season.
For DeRozan, the move represents another chapter in a long NBA career that has included six All-Star selections. Denver will be his fifth NBA team as he continues his pursuit of a championship.
Why the Nuggets wanted DeRozan
The timing of DeRozan’s arrival is significant because Denver recently moved on from Peyton Watson, a young and versatile wing who had become a regular part of the team’s rotation.
Watson was sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a four-team trade. The 23-year-old started a career-high 40 games last season and recorded career-best averages of 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
His absence was felt during Denver’s first-round playoff series. Watson missed the series because of a hamstring injury, while Aaron Gordon was also dealing with calf tightness as the Nuggets were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
DeRozan brings a much different profile to the roster. Rather than relying on a young player developing into a larger role, Denver is adding an established six-time All-Star with extensive postseason and regular-season experience.
DeRozan adds another veteran option around Nikola Jokic
The Nuggets’ decision to bring in DeRozan also comes with the franchise focused on maintaining a championship-caliber roster around Nikola Jokic. The star center remains the central figure in Denver’s plans following the team’s 2023 championship.
Jokic reiterated last month that he wants to remain with Denver. However, he has delayed signing his contract extension until next summer, when he will be eligible to sign a five-year supermax contract that would be worth around $350 million.
Adding DeRozan could therefore provide another indication of Denver’s intention to keep competing at the highest level. The Nuggets have already built their roster around Jokic, and bringing in a veteran of DeRozan’s stature gives the team another experienced player as it attempts to return deeper into the postseason.
Nuggets trying to recover from early playoff exits
Denver’s recent postseason results provide important context for the offseason moves. The Nuggets captured the first NBA championship in franchise history in 2023, establishing themselves as one of the league’s strongest teams around Jokic.
Since that championship, however, Denver has been eliminated early in each of the last three postseasons. The latest setback came against Minnesota, which ended the Nuggets’ campaign in the first round.
The addition of DeRozan comes as Denver looks to avoid another early exit. His experience gives the roster another player accustomed to carrying offensive responsibility and handling the demands of a long NBA season.
Denver continues reshaping its roster
DeRozan is not the only significant offseason addition for Denver. The Nuggets also signed forward/center Marvin Bagley III and retained forward Spencer Jones after matching an offer sheet from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jones is set to return for a third season after Denver matched Oklahoma City’s offer. The move allowed the Nuggets to keep another piece of their roster while continuing to make changes around their core.
The four-team trade involving Watson, meanwhile, altered the balance between Denver’s younger players and veteran experience. DeRozan’s arrival gives the Nuggets an established option as they adjust to the changes created by that transaction.
Second apron creates added roster challenges
Denver’s offseason decisions have also come with salary-cap consequences. The moves pushed the Nuggets into the NBA’s second apron, a financial threshold that can make roster construction increasingly difficult.
Operating above that threshold limits the flexibility available to teams when making future roster decisions. Denver must therefore balance its desire to remain competitive with the restrictions created by its payroll position.
Within that context, DeRozan’s one-year veteran-minimum agreement gives Denver an experienced addition while keeping the deal relatively short. The contract provides the Nuggets with another veteran piece as they prepare for the next NBA season.
DeRozan’s next chapter in Denver
DeRozan now joins a Nuggets team attempting to turn its championship foundation into another deep postseason run. His arrival follows an offseason in which Denver has addressed both its frontcourt depth and perimeter experience while retaining key pieces.
For DeRozan, the move offers another opportunity to compete alongside an elite interior player in Jokic and pursue the championship that has remained missing from his career résumé. For Denver, the six-time All-Star represents a significant infusion of experience at a time when the franchise is trying to regain the postseason form that produced its 2023 title.
Praveen Yadav is the Founder and Content Creator of The Nation Bulletin, an independent digital news platform focused on delivering timely, reliable and meaningful news from India and around the world.
