{"id":869335,"date":"2026-08-24T05:20:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T05:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/869335\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T05:20:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T05:20:22","slug":"demar-derozan-signing-tops-rash-of-desperate-swings-by-the-nuggets-will-any-of-them-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/869335\/","title":{"rendered":"DeMar DeRozan Signing Tops Rash of Desperate Swings by the Nuggets. Will Any of Them Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Nuggets put the finishing touches on their offseason<\/a> by signing DeMar DeRozan on Friday. The addition of the veteran midrange scorer is likely the final of several low-cost additions by Denver made in an attempt to change things around the margins of this Nikola Joki\u0107-centric roster\u2014because that\u2019s all the franchise could do. <\/p>\n

Denver has numerous huge contracts on the books and, as such, is the only team currently over the second apron<\/a>. The Nuggets\u2019 ability to make big changes this offseason was severely limited. Especially when paired with a complete lack of draft assets, the team entered this offseason with zero tradable first-round picks at its disposal. It\u2019s the top reason why Denver traded Peyton Watson despite his defense-first skill set suggesting he\u2019s a perfect role player<\/a> for a Joki\u0107 team. The Nuggets sent him to the Cavaliers because they couldn\u2019t afford to pay him<\/a> the $88 million contract he got from Cleveland, and they netted a draft pick in return. <\/p>\n

Specifics aside, the second apron is designed to hamstring high-payroll teams and limit them to marginal moves if they will not (or cannot) reduce that payroll. Denver is learning that the hard way this summer, perfectly exemplified by the Watson trade on Wednesday followed by the DeRozan signing on Friday. Moving on from a young, up-and-coming player for a veteran on a minimum salary is what those teams have to do. <\/p>\n

This reality arrives at a painful time for the Nuggets. Last year\u2019s roster wasn\u2019t good enough<\/a> to contend for a title, but the severe financial penalties of the luxury tax and second apron forced the front office to focus on managing the cap sheet instead of searching for ways to tangibly improve. <\/p>\n

Denver didn\u2019t sit completely still this offseason. The franchise made three bets on inexpensive players who could provide more punch off the bench and more lineup options for coach David Adelman. DeRozan\u2019s name is the most known of the bunch. If he and the other additions don\u2019t work out, the Nuggets have zero flexibility to shuffle things up. They\u2019ll have to enter the playoffs with only the hope that things will turn out differently than the last three seasons, in which Denver fell short of the conference finals. <\/p>\n

In fewer words, the Nuggets are banking on one of their bargain-bin signings panning out. Let\u2019s break them down and seek to understand the chances of that happening. <\/p>\n

Marvin Bagley III\"Marvin<\/p>\n

Bagley signed with the Nuggets earlier this month to back up Aaron Gordon. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

2025-26 season stats: 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists <\/p>\n

Playing on his fifth NBA team in the last four seasons, Bagley has carved out a solid role as a backup power forward in recent years. The Nuggets could dearly use one of those in light of Aaron Gordon\u2019s constant hamstring issues. The former All-Star missed 77 games over the last two regular seasons, and Denver hasn\u2019t really found a stylistically similar backup for him until now. <\/p>\n

Bagley still has the bounce that convinced the Kings to pick him over Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and as such should prove another lob threat for Joki\u0107 to utilize. That bounce also means he\u2019s good to hit the boards regularly and earn his team extra possessions; Bagley averaged 2.5 offensive rebounds per game last year. He\u2019s not nearly the defender or offensive threat Gordon is when healthy. But for 20 minutes off the bench per night, Bagley is a good fit for what Denver needs. <\/p>\n

NEXT: Five NBA Players Who Could Be on the Move Ahead of Opening Night<\/a><\/p>\n

Will this signing work out? Yes. The Nuggets will be very glad to have Bagley by the end of the year after Gordon misses his now-standard 10-20 games. He probably won\u2019t win Denver a playoff game but the Nuggets had to start 6\u20197\u201d Spencer Jones when Gordon got hurt last year; this will give them an option with size, at least, if that comes to pass. It\u2019s concerning Denver seems to be expecting Bagley to play some small-ball center without another true five on the roster, which was a disastrous experiment in Bagley\u2019s last stop in Dallas. But his primary duty should be filling in for Gordon, and he is capable of doing that. <\/p>\n

Alpha Diallo2025-26 season stats: 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals (EuroLeague) <\/p>\n

The most unknown of this crew, the Diallo signing came out of nowhere for NBA fans (as EuroLeague signings usually do). The main thing to know is that Diallo is a dog of a defender. He won EuroLeague\u2019s Best Defender award after racking up 58 steals in 41 games last year, and his stats in college were similar on that front. Diallo is also a winner\u2014since graduating from Providence and heading overseas in 2020, he\u2019s won the French League, the French Supercup and three LNB Pro A titles with AS Monaco. <\/p>\n

But the Nuggets face the same risks anybody does with signing overseas players. Diallo went undrafted the first time around, and it\u2019s rare (but not unheard of) for a player to make it back to the NBA after 30 teams passed on him multiple times. There is a chance his production is tied more to the athletic advantage of being a 6\u20197\u201d former All-Big East player than any improved skills. We won\u2019t know for sure until Diallo takes the NBA court for the first time, but overseas stars with better r\u00e9sum\u00e9s have washed out for similar reasons. <\/p>\n

Above all, Diallo isn\u2019t a shooter, and that makes his fit tricky for a modern NBA offense. His three-point percentage fluctuated wildly year-over-year for Monaco, and he\u2019s coming off a 31.4% season from deep. Between this and his strong wing defense, Diallo seems to be the Nuggets\u2019 attempt to find a one-to-one replacement for Watson\u2014a defense-first, low-usage offensive question mark wing. <\/p>\n

NEXT: Predicting Landing Spots for the Top 10 NBA Free Agents Still Available<\/a><\/p>\n

Will this signing work out? Based on the washout rate of EuroLeague stars coming to the NBA to compete for contending teams, probably not. Nothing against Diallo, really, but EuroLeague and the NBA are just two completely different worlds in terms of … well, everything. <\/p>\n

If he can come in and lock down some of the best wings in the world, then Denver will be thrilled. But don\u2019t be surprised if he struggles. And how his offense will cramp the floor means he won\u2019t have much room for error before Adelman glues him to the bench. He does have a sweet name, though. <\/p>\n

DeMar DeRozan\"DeMar<\/p>\n

DeRozan can still hit that midrange jumper. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

2025-26 season stats: 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists <\/p>\n

DeRozan was waived by the Kings after the first wave of free agency and waited to see the landscape unfold before opting to sign with the Nuggets. His decision indicates he valued a balance of role and chance to win. In Denver, DeRozan will be relied upon to be the main engine of the bench and will likely be the first choice to enter the starting lineup if anyone other than Joki\u0107 gets hurt. It\u2019s a pretty ideal gig for a 37-year-old forward who played for one of the NBA\u2019s worst teams last season. <\/p>\n

The question is if it\u2019s as sweet an arrangement for the Nuggets. On the one hand, keeping the offense afloat whenever Joki\u0107 is off the floor has long been a struggle for this team, and DeRozan can definitely help that. He can\u2019t space the floor or operate as a hub to create for his teammates anymore, true. But it doesn\u2019t matter who else is on the floor with him\u2014DeRozan will get to his spots and is good to hit about 50% of the shots he takes. Even taking any minutes alongside Joki\u0107 or Jamal Murray out of the equation, DeRozan should be able to provide a more steady supply of points than last year\u2019s bench mob combined. <\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s always about defense with DeRozan. It was his biggest weakness in his prime and hasn\u2019t gotten better now that he\u2019s finished up his 16th NBA season. It\u2019ll be very hard to put him on the floor with both Joki\u0107 and Murray given the two stars\u2019 own defensive weaknesses; DeRozan may wind up giving back just as many points as he scores when he\u2019s running the show with his fellow substitutes. That isn\u2019t breaking news, however. Denver decided he was worth bringing aboard anyway and will likely try to surround him with the roster\u2019s better defensive units when possible. A well-coached team can work around one bad defender, so as long as DeRozan doesn\u2019t work against their foundational defensive principles they should be able to manage well enough. <\/p>\n

Will it work? Yes and no. The most interesting aspect of all this is that we\u2019ve never seen DeRozan in this sort of role before. It always seemed perfect\u2014he\u2019s a flawed but incredibly productive offensive player, which is exactly the sort of player ripe to win multiple 6MOY awards. He should prove a true bargain deal in terms of value relative to what he\u2019s being paid … in the regular season. <\/p>\n

DeRozan isn\u2019t going to help what plagued the Nuggets in the playoffs. In their six-game elimination by the Timberwolves last spring, their offense was terrible both when Joki\u0107 was on the floor and when he was off (per PBP Stats<\/a>). But the defense got worse when he was off the floor. That can\u2019t happen when the defense is already going to struggle with Joki\u0107 at the center of the action most nights. It\u2019s why the Watson trade was so widely panned and why Diallo is so important to their plans. <\/p>\n

DeRozan was a great get in terms of being, by far, the most talented free agent remaining this late in the offseason. But he\u2019s not going to be a big factor in chasing a championship. <\/p>\n

Listen to SI\u2019s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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