Every year, many NBA prospects realize their dreams on NBA Draft night. Nikola Jokic went back to sleep after his Taco Bell commercial. Jamal Murray wore a James Bond tuxedo and ended up being the perfect Nuggets fit. Michael Porter Jr. fell due to injury concerns and helped the Nuggets win a title. More recently, Christian Braun became the rare rookie to play a role on a championship winner in his first year.
The last few years, Denver’s success in the NBA Draft has hit a rough patch. Some of it was their own volition. Some of it was completely out of anyone’s control (DaRon Holmes II freak injury in summer league). Last year, the Nuggets didn’t have a draft pick to speak of and made no selections.
Tonight, Draft night could get a little crazy. Or, it might be very simple. The Nuggets are sifting through their options now, discussing the draft prospects and how they relate to Denver’s trade and free agency goals. A lot of what Denver does tonight will shape how they handle the rest of their offseason.
So, what do Nuggets fans need to know?
When is the NBA Draft and How can I watch?
It’s actually on two separate days – tonight and Wednesday – covering the first and then second round on separate nights. The NBA stated they wanted to separate the two nights so there was more time to cover all the business aspects. I think a large part of it is having a two-day televised event, but C’est la vie.
Starting at 6:00pm MT on both ABC and ESPN, the first round of the draft will commence. Usually, there’s a five-minute clock between picks. In practice with commercials, it’s about eight to ten minutes between selections for the lottery and six to eight minutes for the rest of the first round.
The event will likely go between 3.5 to 4 hours total, depending on how crazy things get.
If you want to watch Pickaxe and Roll and see me react to the Draft in real time, I will be going LIVE at around the 18th pick in the draft (some time between 8:00 and 8:30 MT in all likelihood) to react to Denver’s 26th overall draft selection LIVE.
Subscribe to the Mile High Sports YouTube page and turn on notifications so you get an alert when Pickaxe and Roll begins later tonight.
What Picks do the Nuggets have?
Denver has the 26th pick and the 49th pick in the 2026 Draft. The 26th pick is slated to be made tonight, while the 49th pick (a selection they acquired from the Hunter Tyson trade before February’s trade deadline) is slated to be made tomorrow.
The Nuggets didn’t make any selections in the 2025 Draft. They are also currently bereft of 2027 Draft selections, though their first round pick is Top 5 protected (will be sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder otherwise).
That means Denver has to capitalize on the opportunity tonight and add some talent to their team, young talent or otherwise.
What are the Nuggets expected to do?
Over the last week plus, I’ve written about the Draft from the angle of an analyst expecting Denver to explore a variety of trade scenarios very seriously. This year, given Denver’s financial concerns and title window, yields the highest likelihood for a draft night trade that the Nuggets have had in a while.
I’ve written about draft prospects like Jayden Quaintance, Zuby Ejiofor, and Koat Peat.
I’ve written about trade ideas involving every member of the Nuggets roster outside of Nikola Jokic.
I’ve podcasted about a draft board for the Denver Nuggets specifically.
I’ve podcasted with a draft expert to share insights about players the Nuggets could select.
The Nuggets have brought in various players for draft workouts over the last few weeks, with Arizona’s Koa Peat being the highest regarded prospect of the bunch based on pre-draft rankings. That they haven’t tried to get a workout with anyone regarded higher would seem to indicate they aren’t as likely to trade up in this draft as they are to trade down or give away the pick entirely.
There have also been reports of Denver assessing the contract value of Zeke Nnaji and whether the Nuggets would have to part with the 26th overall selection to get off his contract and clear salary.
After the Minnesota Timberwolves were just able to trade Julius Randle’s $69 million obligation over the next two seasons for the mere price of moving down fives spots in the NBA Draft from 28 to 33, it would be ridiculous for the Nuggets to sell the 26th pick to offload Zeke Nnaji’s roughly $15 million obligation over the same timeframe. If the Nuggets are that worried about finances during Nikola Jokic’s prime, there are larger issues at hand.
A word of caution
The Nuggets are in a tough spot because they’re expected to make changes of both a competitive and financial nature. Usually, it takes draft capital to make that happen, but Denver’s amount of draft capital at their disposal to be traded (26th and 49th picks this year, 2033 second round pick, and first round pick swaps in 2028, 2030, 2031, and 2033) is extremely, extremely poor.
In addition, there aren’t a ton of Nuggets players seen on “value” contracts at this point, another way for teams to seemingly grease the wheels on a trade. Denver’s young players under rookie contract are Julian Strawther, DaRon Holmes, and Jalen Pickett, which aren’t major trade assets most teams will be seeking out in deals to give Denver their top players or draft picks.
Don’t expect miracles tonight or tomorrow. The Nuggets will probably make some sort of trade, but given their sudden lack of young talent with Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones testing restricted free agency, there’s a world where simply drafting at 26 and 49 is the right thing for Denver’s present and future. I’ve campaigned for Denver to make changes and shake some things up, but it’s far easier said than done given Denver’s asset poor situation.
If Denver doesn’t do what you wanted them to do tonight, it’s probably because they can’t. Or, it’s because a team is trying to extort them given Denver’s relative operational weakness, and the Nuggets just didn’t want to make a bad deal. Even I have to admit that a bad deal is worse than no deal at all and just running it back.
So, here’s to Denver surprising their fans with something positive to discuss tonight and tomorrow.
What Denver Nuggets fans should know on NBA Draft Day Mile High Sports.
Hence then, the article about what denver nuggets fans should know on nba draft day was published today ( ) and is available on Mile High Sports ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( What Denver Nuggets fans should know on NBA Draft Day )
Also on site :
- Thomas Tuchel criticises unpopular World Cup hydration breaks for changing football’s ‘identity’
- Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo? The debate was always absurd
- Hirakawa in the saddle with Haas in Austrian GP FP1