The NBA Draft is at the beginning of next week, and the Denver Nuggets still have several pathways they could decide to take and change the course of their future.
Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon have long been the anchors for the Nuggets franchise over the last several years, and they probably still will be after the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft concludes on Tuesday night.
It’s unlikely the Nuggets will change who they are so drastically, especially with championship level expectations. Jokic, Murray, and Gordon are the most important factors for that, and changing away from that group for the first time in years would be significant.
And yet, for the first time in a long time, it’s truly a possibility. Chief Culture Officer Josh Kroenke has publicly stated that everything is on the table for the Nuggets this offseason except trading Jokic. In years past, the Nuggets haven’t seriously considered the idea of changing their core group, but it’s bound to happen at some point. The question is when.
The Draft is a reasonable time to wonder whether those kinds of moves will occur, but let’s get to that in a bit.
Heading into Tuesday and Wednesday, the Nuggets have the 26th and 49th picks in the draft at their disposal. It’s not the best situation, but it’s better than last year when Denver had zero selections and sat out of the draft entirely.
This year, there’s an expectation that they will at least select somebody. If the front office and ownership were to not make a selection in two straight drafts, that would be unprecedented for a new front office in terms of making their mark and adding new players into the mix.
So, if the Nuggets stay at the 26th overall pick, who are some draft prospects to consider that might be a fit for Denver?
Here’s a list of five:
Jayden Quaintance – Big, Kentucky Zuby Ejiofor – Big, St. Johns Joshua Jefferson – Forward, Iowa State Koa Peat – Forward, Arizona Ebuka Okorie – Guard, StanfordThere are plenty of players the Nuggets could end up selecting in this draft, but these five represent different variations of their thought process.
With Jonas Valanciunas not expected to return, the Nuggets have an immediate benefit at backup center they might need to address. They also have expressed desire to improve defensively, and the best way to do so is to add an impactful defensive prospect in the frontcourt.
Fortunately for the Nuggets, there are a lot of options in this class among players that have a chance to excel defensively.
Perhaps the most interesting among them is big man Jayden Quaintance. He’s a young, athletic center who might be able to slide to power forward with excellent mobility and instincts. He’s not a shooter and is exceptionally raw, but he’s definitely a rim protector with a 7’5″ wingspan that the Nuggets have never had before.
There’s Zuby Ejiofor who has the strength and length of a center prospect but only the height of a power forward. He’s more well-seasoned than Quaintance as a four-year college and is a high IQ player who won Player of the Year AND Defensive Player of the Year in the Big East. He’s ready to play in the NBA but may not have the upside to be a consistent starter.
There’s Joshua Jefferson who shares the lack of upside concerns with Ejiofor, but Jefferson’s basketball IQ and playmaking at power forward are unique. He has a well-rounded skill set and can do a little bit of everything, but his athletic indicators aren’t good. He fits the current make-up of the Nuggets and what their current plan is to excel. Does he fit their future plans?
Then, there’s Koa Peat, who’s a much better athlete for the position and built like OG Anunoby. He doesn’t have the defensive impact of Anunoby though, and his game is relatively flawed as a freshman. The Nuggets would have to seriously believe he could unlock some potential as a defender and connective player, using his athleticism next to Nikola Jokic to take advantage of Jokic’s skill set and basketball IQ. That’s a tall order for a freshman.
If the Nuggets believe in adding a frontcourt defender, these are some of the players they could look at with the 26th pick. Some of them may not be available, but there’s enough of a selection to be intrigued if that’s the direction they decide to go.
If Denver decides they need a guard instead, the name to watch (if he’s there) is probably Ebuka Okorie. The Stanford freshman wasn’t expect to shine as brightly as he did, but aggressive driving to the paint, self-creation on jumpers and layups, and a wiry frame that’s ready to handle NBA contact is fairly appealing for the Nuggets, who don’t have a lot of athletic drivers of the basketball.
Other names in the 20 to 35 range that the Nuggets might consider: wings Dailyn Swain of Texas (unlikely to drop) and Isaiah Evans of Duke, guards Christian Anderson of Texas Tech and Meleek Thomas of Arkansas, or bigs Chris Cenac Jr. or Henri Veesaar.
The problem for the Nuggets right now is that they are a blank canvas trying to figure out draft priorities because of the questions with their core group and financial limitations. Many of the selections discussed above would be made under the assumption that the Nuggets are mostly bringing back their main group.
Of course, that might not end up being the case. If the Nuggets decide it’s time to trade Jamal Murray, then they obviously need a solution at point guard. Is Okorie good enough to pencil in as a starter from the 26th pick? Probably not. And yet, the Nuggets would want a long term solution at point guard if they moved Murray.
So, is trading up a possibility? There are several guards in the lottery that might intrigue Denver if they were tasked with replacing Murray: Darius Acuff, Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown, Kingston Flemmings, and Labaron Philon might all be interesting to the Nuggets to varying degrees if they went that direction. It seems extremely unlikely they would go that direction with Jokic still in his prime, but stranger things have happened.
If the Nuggets decide they want to trade one or both of Christian Braun or Cam Johnson to free up salary this offseason, is there a possibility they need a starting wing? They might be able to identify someone via trade, but trading up for a rookie wing to pair with Peyton Watson in a newly renovated starting unit doesn’t seem that farfetched.
How about the aforementioned Dailyn Swain? Baylor’s Cameron Carr could be a big time swing. Maybe even Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg if Denver was adamant about needing perimeter size. It’s unlikely Denver has the maneuverability to trade up to get one of these guys with Braun or Johnson as the centerpiece of a deal, but it’s not impossible for the right team and the right fit.
If the Nuggets decide it’s time for Aaron Gordon to depart, they will need a starting power forward. Lendeborg could be a fit in a trade up scenario, as would his teammate Morez Johnson if the Nuggets wanted a rim protecting big man next to Jokic. Perhaps they go outside the box with Santa Clara’s Allen Graves or an international forward like Karim Lopez. It would be shocking if they traded Gordon in this manner to me, but it’s not completely inconceivable.
Unfortunately, there’s also the possibility of the Nuggets trading the 26th overall pick entirely for financial relief. After struggling to get better in the draft in each of the last three seasons, the Nuggets might simply believe they’re better off avoiding the draft and focusing on veteran additions around Jokic, Murray, and the Nuggets roster.
It would be a poor use of assets to sell the pick to offload a larger salary like Zeke Nnaji or even Christian Braun or Cam Johnson, but if that’s the move that allows ownership to retain Peyton Watson for a significant deal or keeping all three of Jokic, Murray, and Gordon together and getting under the second tax apron…then that’s how it will be justified.
Finally, the Nuggets made use the 26th pick in a trade package to upgrade their roster. It’s their only accessible first round pick at the moment, and if there’s a rebuilding team that’s interested in adding another draft prospect that they like toward the end of the first round, then they might be willing to offload a helpful veteran in the process.
I’m looking directly at the Memphis Grizzlies to see if they’re interested in trading one of Santi Aldama or Ty Jerome while adding another first round pick. Also, what do the New Orleans Pelicans REALLY need Herb Jones or Saddiq Bey for? Do the Los Angeles Clippers REALLY need Derrick Jones Jr. or Kris Dunn if Kawhi Leonard is on his way out? Many are asking…
All of this to say, the Nuggets have many pathways and directions that might be interesting to them but very few draft assets to get there. If Denver’s really hoping to make a change in their identity, culture, and energy around the team, they might have to make an uncomfortable decision or two.
Whatever they decide to do, we will cover it all here.
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