The Nuggets enter the 2026 offseason with a roster that is still a contender. They can justify urgency, but the team is expensive and limited for any move. They went 54-28, finished as the No. 3 seed, and lost to the Timberwolves in six games in the first round. That result was not a total collapse, but it was another early exit for a team built around Nikola Jokic. At this stage, that is enough to force difficult roster questions around Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.
The financial picture is the bigger issue. Jokic, Murray, Gordon, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun are set to make around $185.6 million combined next season, and the Nuggets are projected around $223.0 million in total salary, slightly above the second apron. That leaves almost no standard spending path unless the front office moves salary first.
That is why this free-agency plan cannot be built around expensive names. The Nuggets need low-cost players who can defend, shoot, and function next to Jokic without needing the ball. They also have to make a major internal call on Peyton Watson, who is entering restricted free agency after the best season of his career.
This is not a roster that needs to be destroyed. Jokic is still the best foundation in the league, Murray remains a championship-level shot-maker when right, and the starting group still has enough quality. The problem is depth, athleticism, and defensive reliability. These four targets fit that reality.
1. Bruce Brown
Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent
Bruce Brown is the simplest internal free-agent target because the fit has already been tested. The Nuggets know what he does well, what he does not do, and how to use him next to Jokic. That matters more for this roster than chasing a player with a bigger name and worse role clarity.
Brown averaged 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steals in 82 games this season while shooting 47.5% from the field and 38.5% from three. His role was smaller than it was during the title season, but the outline is still useful: defend guards, rebound from the perimeter, cut into space, handle the ball for short stretches, and avoid killing possessions.
The Nuggets need that type of player because their bench has become too dependent on specialists. A lineup around Jokic can carry one limited player if that player defends, cuts, and thinks fast. Brown fits that. He can screen for guards, dive into the lane, take the corner three, and keep the ball moving when defenses load up on Jokic.
The contract has to be modest. Brown is among the Nuggets’ unrestricted free agents, and the franchise is financially restricted. Brown cannot be treated like a mid-level target. He has to be a low-cost retention play, likely in the range his rights allow or close to it.
The risk is that Brown is not the same player he was in 2023. He is still useful, but he is not a full answer to the bench problem. He is not a high-volume shooter. He is not a backup point guard who can run offense for long stretches. He is not big enough to solve the wing size issue alone.
That is fine. The Nuggets do not need him to be more than his role. They need reliable playoff minutes, defensive pressure, and a player who understands how to play off Jokic without slowing the offense. At two years and $8.0 million, Brown is exactly the kind of retention move that fits the cap sheet.
If the market pushes above $5.0 million per year, the Nuggets should be careful. The front office cannot overpay familiarity. But if Brown is available near the minimum-plus range, bringing him back is practical. He gives the bench a baseline of trust that most low-cost free agents cannot offer.
2. Matisse Thybulle
Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent
Matisse Thybulle is the defensive gamble. He is not a complete player, and the medical history is the first concern. But the Nuggets need one low-cost defender who can change possessions, and Thybulle still does that at a high level when he is available.
Thybulle played only 30 games this season. He has appeared in only 45 regular-season games over the last two seasons because of injuries, including thumb surgery this year. That history will hurt his market, and it should. The Nuggets cannot commit real money to a player with that level of availability risk.
The defensive production is why he stays on the list. Thybulle averaged 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks in only 16.0 minutes per game while shooting 43.3% from the field, 39.8% from three, and 84.0% from the line. He also finished at plus-88 in 480 minutes, which is a small sample, but it shows the type of swing he can give a team in short bursts.
The Nuggets would need him to pressure the ball, jump passing lanes, protect Murray from certain assignments, and give the second unit more athletic defense. That role is narrow, but it has value. Their playoff loss showed how quickly things can break when the offense stalls and the defense does not create enough extra possessions.
The offensive risk is real. Thybulle shot well this season, but teams will still test him in a playoff series. If he stands in the corner and hesitates, the spacing gets tight. If he passes up open shots, Jokic and Murray see extra bodies near the lane. That is why he cannot be signed with the idea that he will close every game.
One year and $3.6 million is the right price. It keeps the risk contained. If he stays healthy and the shot holds, he gives the Nuggets a disruptive wing defender at a bargain number. If the injuries continue or the offense becomes too limited, the contract does not damage the cap sheet.
This signing would be about a specific skill. Thybulle is one of the few available wings who can create defensive events without needing a major salary slot. For a team likely trapped near the apron lines, that is worth a serious look.
3. Gary Trent Jr.
Contract Status: $3.9 million Player Option
Gary Trent Jr. is the best external shooting target here, but he is also the hardest one to reach financially. He has a $3.9 million player option for 2026-27 after signing a two-year, $7.5 million deal with the Bucks. If he declines it, the Nuggets should monitor the market. If he opts in, this path ends immediately.
The basketball case is strong. Trent averaged 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 43.1% from the field and 41.6% from three. He also made 180 threes, which is the number that should get the Nuggets’ attention. This roster needs more shooting volume around Jokic, not just players who can make an open three twice a week.
The concern is the money. A two-year, $18.0 million deal is realistic for Trent if he reaches the market, but it is not easy for the Nuggets unless they make a separate salary move. The starting group alone is near $185.6 million for next season, and the team is projected around the second-apron area before dealing with Watson. That means a Trent offer in this range requires a wider offseason plan.
The defensive fit is acceptable, not special. Trent competes, creates some steals, and has enough size to play either guard spot, but he is not Thybulle. He will not erase mistakes or take the toughest wing assignment every night. The Nuggets would be paying for shooting first, shooting second, and enough defense to stay playable.
The front office should not chase him blindly. If the price moves to three years or double-digit annual money, the Nuggets should probably step back unless they have already cleared salary. But at two years and $18.0 million, with the second year structured in a team-friendly way if possible, Trent is the external player who most directly improves their shooting problem.
4. Peyton Watson
Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent
Peyton Watson is the most important player on this list, as he showed in the season. Brown, Thybulle, and Trent are role-player targets. Watson is a long-term roster decision. The Nuggets developed him, gave him a real role, and now have to decide whether they are willing to pay for the breakout before another team sets the price.
Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 54 games while shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.1% from three, and 73.0% at the line. He started 40 games and played 29.6 minutes per night. That is not a small bench jump. That is a rotation leap from a 23-year-old wing with real physical tools.
The shooting changes the entire conversation. Watson was always interesting because of his length, weak-side shot blocking, transition athleticism, and defensive range. If the three-point shot is real, he moves from developmental wing to high-level two-way scorer. The Nuggets cannot replace that profile with a minimum signing.
The market will test them. Watson could receive offers around $20.0 million per year, and the Nuggets have the right to match because he is a restricted free agent. The team may hesitate if another franchise pushes the price too high, but letting him walk would create a major roster hole.
This is where the cap sheet becomes painful. Paying Watson four years and $80.0 million would push the Nuggets deeper into tax and apron pressure. It could force another move elsewhere. It could make the front office choose between keeping young talent and preserving flexibility. But that is the cost of missing on earlier depth moves and paying a starting five this expensive.
They need Watson to be a long, athletic, two-way forward who can grow next to Jokic, Murray, Braun, and Gordon. That is harder to find than a backup guard or a veteran shooter. If the Nuggets let Watson leave, they would likely spend years trying to replace the same profile with cheaper, worse players.
Four years and $80.0 million is uncomfortable, but it is the correct target. If another team offers $25.0 million per year, the decision becomes harder. At $20.0 million per season, the Nuggets should match. The roster is too expensive to lose a homegrown wing entering his prime.
Final Take
The Nuggets have to handle free agency with discipline. They are not operating from cap space. They are operating from a tight apron situation, an expensive starting group, and a bench that still needs to show more production.
Bruce Brown is the retention target who already understands the system. Matisse Thybulle is the defensive bet at a low number. Gary Trent Jr. is the shooter to chase only if the front office creates enough financial room. Peyton Watson is the internal priority because his age, size, shooting jump, and defensive upside are too valuable to lose.
That is the offseason. The Nuggets do not need noise. They need role players who can stay on the floor in May, and they need to keep the one young wing on the roster who may still raise the ceiling.
