Nikola Jokic helped Denver land DeMar DeRozan
Jokic, Murray and Gordon sold DeRozan on Denver
Nikola Jokic was a key voice in convincing DeMar DeRozan to sign with the Denver Nuggets. The two-time MVP reached out to the veteran, and Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon also checked in with DeRozan before he agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal. The veteran has said he’s excited about the chance to join a contender and chase a championship.
DeRozan was one of the most prominent free agents late into the offseason. Last season with the Sacramento Kings he averaged about 18.4 points, 4.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds over 77 games while shooting close to 50% from the field. He remains a reliable mid-range and isolation scorer after a long, productive career.
The 37-year-old brings plenty of experience from stops in Toronto, San Antonio, Chicago and Sacramento, and he’ll add another scoring option to a core already led by Jokic and Murray.
What he adds — on the court and on the books
On offense, DeRozan gives Denver another late-game creator who can take over in isolation when needed, making the Nuggets tougher to guard in crunch time. That said, this signing doesn’t solve Denver’s defensive questions — especially after Peyton Watson left for Cleveland — so the roster still has clear areas to address on that end.
Financially, the deal has ramifications. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, DeRozan’s contract creates roughly a $2.4 million cap hit and pushes Denver about $3.15 million over the league’s second apron. It also increases the team’s projected luxury-tax bill to around $75 million, underscoring the price the Nuggets are willing to pay to add scoring around Jokic and Murray.
All told, this is a low-risk, high-reward short-term move for Denver: immediate offensive reinforcement and veteran leadership, but no obvious defensive upgrade and a noticeable tax burden for the front office to manage.
