There was a point this offseason when the Nuggets seemed to be moving in the opposite direction from the one they had taken when they won the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship in 2023. Their roster was getting more expensive, their bench had become less dependable, and they became compelled to make difficult decisions simply to remain within the league’s financial rules. The departure of Peyton Watson, in particular, represented a concession to the reality that building around Nikola Jokic was becoming increasingly expensive. Yet after an offseason that often looked more like financial housekeeping than championship planning, they have made one move that looks familiar: adding another accomplished veteran in DeMar DeRozan. They signed the six-time All-Star who averaged 18.4 points and 4.1 assists last season to a one-year, $3.9-million contract.
The signing makes sense precisely because the Nuggets did not have the luxury of chasing perfection. Their offseason additions had largely been about filling holes rather than transforming their lineup, with Tyus Jones retained as a backup point guard and Marvin Bagley III added to provide minutes behind Jokic. Spencer Jones was also retained after they matched the Thunder’s offer sheet, further complicating an already crimped payroll. The result was hardly ideal; they remained in obvious need of another creator, particularly in times when Jamal Murray would need rest, but without much financial flexibility to address it. DeRozan does not solve every problem, but he solves one that has become increasingly important: somebody else who can take the ball, create a shot, and organize an offense when their two best offensive players are not around to do it. His 49.7% shooting clip last season also suggests that, even at 37, he remains considerably more than a ceremonial veteran.
There is, however, an evident contradiction in the move. The Nuggets need athleticism and defense, and DeRozan provides neither in abundance. He is not a high-volume three-point shooter, which could make some second-unit combinations difficult even as they already depend heavily on spacing around Jokic. More importantly, replacing a young two-way player like Watson with an aging scorer changes the nature of the roster. The latter represented part of their future; DeRozan represents the present. The distinction matters because they are no longer simply trying to build a good team around their foundational piece. They are trying to maximize what remains of a championship window that has already begun to narrow.
The intriguing part will be how head coach David Adelman gets to use DeRozan. He has essentially been a starter throughout his career, and asking him to become a sixth man at this stage will require some adjustment. Still, it may actually be the role that gives the Nuggets the most value. The starting group of Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Jokic can remain intact; meanwhile, he becomes the offensive stabilizer for the second unit. He can also be staggered with Murray or Jokic, ensuring that Denver has a proven creator on the floor for much of the game. The Nuggets do not need him to be the player who carried the Raptors or Bulls. They need him to make stretches with reserves less vulnerable, and to give them another option when playoff defenses inevitably take away the first two or three choices.
Which is why the DeRozan signing should be viewed less as a blockbuster and more as an admission of where the Nuggets are in their championship cycle. They are not rebuilding. Nor are they making the kind of sweeping moves that suggest they have abandoned their core. They are making calculated bets on the present, even when those bets come at the expense of the future. He may not fix the Nuggets’ defensive shortcomings or make their bench young, but he gives them something they badly lacked: another veteran who has spent a career understanding how to manufacture points when the game becomes difficult. The question has never been whether Jokic can make them competitive. It is whether they can keep giving their superstar help before time, age, and the economics of the NBA make the answer increasingly difficult. The signing is their latest attempt to make sure the question does not have to be answered yet. Until when is, unfortunately, another matter altogether.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
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