The Nuggets have already been linked to at least one obvious veteran target this offseason. BasketNews reported they are interested in Bogdan Bogdanovic, who could hit free agency if the Clippers decline his $16.0 million team option before the June 26 deadline. That makes total sense, but Bogdanovic is really just one piece of a much bigger and more complicated offseason puzzle.
The Nuggets finished 54-28 and had the best offense in the entire NBA, scoring 122.1 points per game. Jokic averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists on 56.9% from the field and 38.0% from three. None of that was enough to avoid getting bounced in the first round by the Timberwolves, which is still kind of hard to process.
Money is the bigger problem heading into the summer now. Peyton Watson is entering restricted free agency after a really strong season, averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 41.1% from three, and keeping him is going to require a sacrifice.
Christian Braun’s five-year, $125.0 million extension kicks in next season. Cameron Johnson has a $23.1 million cap hit in the final year of his deal. Marc Stein reported the Nuggets are expected to explore trades involving Braun or Johnson to open up some financial room, with Johnson being the easier one to move.
Even after a trade, cap space is probably not happening. The full mid-level exception is basically off the table unless they move a massive amount of salary, and if they stay above the second apron, they lose access to even the taxpayer mid-level at $5.6 million.
Most of what they add from the outside is going to come on veteran minimum contracts, which means the target is pretty specific. They need older guys who still do one thing really well, have playoff experience, and are willing to take less money for a real shot at a title with Jokic.
Here are five veterans the Nuggets should be calling this offseason.
5. Khris Middleton
The Nuggets already tried to get Khris Middleton once before. Marc Stein reported back in February that Denver was interested in him if he worked out a buyout with the Mavericks, but Middleton ended up staying in Dallas for the rest of the season. Now, he is an unrestricted free agent after finishing the final year of his three-year, $93.0 million contract, so the conversation can actually happen this time.
His numbers this past season were not pretty. Middleton averaged 10.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in about 23 minutes across 63 games split between the Wizards and Mavericks, shooting 42.0% from the field and 36.0% from three. That is nowhere close to the All-Star version of Middleton, who was averaging over 20 points and shooting nearly 39% from three while being a legit second option next to Giannis.
But the Nuggets would not be asking him to be that player. They would need maybe 15 to 20 useful minutes off the bench, and Middleton can still absolutely do that. He can handle the ball, attack smaller defenders in the post, hit mid-range shots, and function in a pick-and-roll.
He also shot 39.0% from three in his 22 games with the Mavericks, which suggests the shooting touch is still there when he gets clean looks. Next to Jokic, that would be genuinely useful, because he would not need to beat anyone off the dribble. He could just use Jokic’s gravity, attack rotations, or make the extra pass when two defenders collapse.
The playoff experience is also worth something real. Middleton is a three-time All-Star, a 2021 champion, and has played 80 playoff games. He has been in big moments, defended top wings, and played both as a starter and as a secondary option depending on what the team needed. That versatility and experience is exactly the kind of thing a minimum contract veteran should bring.
The risk is obvious, though. He is 34, has missed significant time in recent seasons, and is a shell of what he was defensively. The Nuggets should not offer more than a minimum or a cheap one-year deal, and Middleton might prefer Dallas anyway if the Mavericks offer him a bigger role or use his Bird rights to pay him more.
Still, the interest was already there earlier this season. If Middleton wants one more legitimate shot at a championship, the Nuggets should absolutely pick up the phone again.
4. Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes had a smaller role with the Spurs as the season went on, but he still showed he can help a contender in the right situation. He averaged 10.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 25.8 minutes across 77 games, shooting 45.7% from the field, 39.0% from three, and posting a 60.9% true shooting mark.
His job was simple, and he did it well. Barnes spaced the floor, attacked closeouts, defended bigger wings, and averaged only 0.8 turnovers per game despite starting 52 times. He didn’t try to do more than what the team needed from him.
The Spurs eventually shifted minutes toward younger players, and Barnes started only three of his 23 games after the All-Star break. He averaged 2.3 points in 9.2 minutes during the playoffs, which tells you where he stood in the rotation by the end. The Spurs have Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, Carter Bryant, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, and Keldon Johnson all competing for wing minutes, so the path back is not easy.
Barnes is an unrestricted free agent now, and the Nuggets should absolutely be paying attention if the Spurs move on. He is not an elite defender anymore, but at 6-foot-7, he can cover both forward spots, back up Aaron Gordon, share the floor with Watson, or slide into any lineup that needs four shooters around Jokic.
The shooting is the main thing. Barnes made 1.8 threes per game and shot 39.0% from deep, and almost all of his offense comes from spot-up shots, cuts, straight-line drives, and transition opportunities. Those are exactly the shots Jokic generates for role players, which makes the fit pretty natural.
He also brings real playoff experience from the 2015 Warriors title run and has appeared in 89 playoff games total. The Nuggets need veterans who understand a limited role without slowing the offense down, and Barnes has been doing that for years.
The realistic path here is a veteran minimum or part of a smaller exception if the Nuggets get below the second apron. They should not try to compete if the Spurs come back with their mid-level exception. Barnes alone won’t fix their problems, but a reliable 3-and-D forward who can play meaningful playoff minutes on a minimum deal is exactly the kind of addition that actually matters for a team in their situation.
3. Robert Williams III
The Nuggets had a 116.9 defensive rating and allowed 50.7 points in the paint per game this season, finishing around the middle of the league in paint defense and averaging only 4.0 blocks. Jokic is an elite rebounder and positional defender, but he is not a vertical rim protector. That is the clearest weakness on the roster, and Robert Williams III is one of the few available players who actually fixes it.
He averaged 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in only 17.1 minutes for the Trail Blazers while shooting 70.8% from the field. Adjust that for playing time, and the numbers get really interesting: 14.7 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per 36 minutes. In the playoffs, he gave the Trail Blazers 9.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 21.6 minutes, which is a really productive line for a backup center.
Williams can protect the rim, switch onto guards for short possessions, catch lobs, screen, and create second chances on the offensive glass. He’s a natural fit as a backup behind Jokic. The Nuggets could also pressure the ball more aggressively on defense, knowing there’s a real shot blocker behind the play.
The problem has always been his body, and that is not a small concern. Williams played only six games in 2023-24 and 20 in 2024-25 before this season. He has dealt with repeated knee, hamstring, and ankle issues throughout his career, and his 59 appearances this year were actually his highest total since 2021-22.
That injury history either scares the Nuggets away completely or gives them a real opening. ESPN’s Bobby Marks projected a three-year, $42.0 million deal with only the first season fully guaranteed, and the Nuggets simply cannot match that if another team goes there. But if the medical history scares enough teams off and Williams ends up available on a one-year deal near the minimum or a small exception, the risk is absolutely worth taking.
They wouldn’t need him to play 30 minutes or start 70 games. They would need him healthy for selected regular-season games and important playoff matchups, and even in a limited role next to Jokic, the pairing could work. Jokic operates from the perimeter and high post anyway, which leaves the rim open for Williams as a cutter and lob threat. His health decides everything here, but the upside is real.
2. Gary Payton II
Gary Payton II is not a typical backup point guard, and the Nuggets should not expect him to be one. He won’t organize the offense, average six assists, or create shots late in the clock, and that’s completely fine because the Nuggets already have Jokic and Murray for all of that.
What they actually need from a reserve guard is someone who can bring the ball up, make simple passes, play without the ball, and defend the opponent’s best guard. Payton does all of that.
He averaged 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.9 steals in only 15.6 minutes with the Warriors while shooting 58.3% from the field. His 29.1% from three is a real problem, but Payton has never been valuable because of outside shooting.
He scores through cuts, dunks, transition opportunities, offensive rebounds, and short rolls, and he averaged 1.4 offensive rebounds per game despite being 6-foot-2 and playing fewer than 16 minutes. That kind of effort and motor is hard to find on a minimum deal.
Payton understands how to cut when defenders lose track of him, can screen for Murray and slip toward the rim, and finishes passes above the defense. The Warriors used him almost like a small center on offense while he defended guards and wings on the other end, and the Nuggets could use him in basically the same way.
He also knows how to exist on a contender without needing a big role. Payton was part of the Warriors‘ 2022 championship team, has played 35 playoff games, and has already spent years accepting inconsistent minutes and a purely defensive identity. That mentality matters on a team like the Nuggets.
The main thing to watch is lineup construction. Payton, next to Gordon and a non-shooting backup center, would get really bad offensively, so he should mostly be on the floor with Jokic, Murray, or another real shooting threat.
The Warriors finished 37-45 and might not bring him back, which opens the door. At 33 years old, he is probably not getting a big multi-year offer, and a veteran minimum should be enough to get the Nuggets in the conversation.
1. Bogdan Bogdanovic
Bogdan Bogdanovic is the most obvious target on this entire list, and honestly, the closest thing to a perfect Jokic teammate available at a price the Nuggets can actually afford. BasketNews already reported the interest, and a lot of it comes down to his history and chemistry with Jokic on the Serbian national team, which is not a tiny detail.
The Clippers hold a $16.0 million team option for next season, but are expected to decline it, and it’s hard to argue with that decision based on this past year. Bogdanovic appeared in only 23 games, averaged 7.4 points in 19.7 minutes, shot 34.7% from three, and barely played after January. Those numbers look really bad on the surface.
The Nuggets would be betting on the larger career sample, which is 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 38.1% from three. He has been a starter, a sixth man, a movement shooter, a pick-and-roll handler, and a late-game scorer at different points in his career.
That is exactly what the Nuggets’ bench was missing in the playoffs. Their reserves shot 33.3% from three in the first round loss, finished the six-game series with a minus-67 scoring margin, and had no real sixth man who could come off the bench and get ten quick points.
A healthy Bogdanovic can be that guy. He can run a second unit pick and roll, attack off screens, pull up from three, make a pocket pass, or use a change of pace to get to the paint. He is also comfortable taking difficult shots late in the shot clock, which is a skill that does not show up in box scores but matters a lot in playoff basketball.
The Serbian connection is a genuine advantage. Bogdanovic and Jokic already know each other’s timing from international play, and Bogdanovic joining the Nuggets means playing an important role next to the best Serbian player in NBA history.
His representatives have told European teams he plans to stay in the NBA for at least one more season, which makes the timing perfect. His poor year should bring the price down, and the chance to play with Jokic could make a minimum contract more attractive than a slightly bigger offer from a weaker team.
The Nuggets have spent years looking for real creation behind Jokic and Murray. This should be their first call the moment the Clippers decline that option.
