Veteran forward DeMar DeRozan has agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million contract with the Denver Nuggets, securing a significant veteran addition as the franchise prepares for the 2026–27 NBA season. According to league sources, the deal brings the six-time All-Star to Colorado following a two-year tenure with the Sacramento Kings, providing Denver with an efficient offensive weapon below his traditional market value.
Contract Details and Financial Context
DeRozan enters his new stop on a team-friendly contract worth $3.9 million for the upcoming campaign. The agreement follows a sequence of transactions that began when the Sacramento Kings waived DeRozan on July 6, parting ways with the final year of a three-year, $73.1 million contract he originally signed in a 2024 sign-and-trade. That transaction left DeRozan with $10 million in guaranteed money out of the $25.74 million scheduled for the 2026–27 season, softening the financial impact of his new lower-tier deal.
For Denver, the signing addresses roster needs while helping ownership avoid crossing the second apron of the NBA luxury tax. The financial maneuverability required to add DeRozan was cleared a day earlier when the Nuggets completed a multi-team trade sending restricted free-agent forward Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Offensive Profile and Statistical Overview
DeRozan turns 37 on August 7, yet remains one of the league’s most reliable midrange operators and isolation scorers. During his final season in Sacramento, he started all 77 regular-season games, averaging 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per contest while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 86.8 percent from the free-throw line. Although that point total marked his first time averaging under 20 points per game in 13 seasons, he continued to excel in ball security, maintaining a 4.1-to-1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Historical records show DeRozan ranks 16th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,711 points across a career that spans stints with the Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, and Sacramento Kings.
Tactical Fit Within the Denver Rotation
Head coach David Adelman faces strategic choices regarding how to integrate DeRozan into a starting unit that lost wing depth with Watson’s departure. A projected starting five could feature Jamal Murray, DeMar DeRozan, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic. However, analysts suggest DeRozan might ultimately serve as a primary offensive catalyst off the bench, providing essential playmaking and self-creation for a second unit that historically lacks reliable shot creation from reserves like Christian Braun, Marvin Bagley Jr., and Spencer Jones.
While DeRozan provides elite scoring efficiency—leading the league in non-paint two-pointers made per game last year at a 47.6 percent clip—his defensive responsibilities remain limited to players who avoid heavy isolation play off the dribble, and he maintains a career 30.2 percent mark from beyond the arc. The Nuggets hope his veteran scoring presence can inject momentum into a rotation striving to match the depth of top Western Conference contenders like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
Next Steps for the Franchise
The Nuggets will continue their roster preparations ahead of training camp and the opening of the 2026–27 regular season schedule.
Keep reading
