The Denver Nuggets are a team that has work to do to rework their roster this offseason, thanks to their salary cap issues and free agents that could be on their way out this summer. 

Another task the Nuggets are faced with this summer is filling out their coaching staff. Last summer, the team hired former NBA players JJ Barea and Jared Dudley to their coaching staff, but now they could be looking to add more experience to the group. 

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, former NBA head coach Dave Joerger could be heading to Denver as the Nuggets are the favorite to land him ahead of next season. Joerger, 52, is a coach who has experience in the NBA, dating back to 2007. 

He served as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings as well. He coached the franchises for three seasons each and reached the postseason all three seasons with Denver. He has a career head coaching record of 245-247. 

Joerger's teams prioritized pace and situational awareness in his head coaching days, something the Nuggets lacked throughout much of the 2025-2026 season as Denver ranked 21st in pace. 

In terms of fastbreak points, they averaged 16.1 points per game, which was good for 8th in the NBA. Denver could hire Joerger to help clean things up and run a higher-paced and more complete offense in 2026. 

Joerger's best days in coaching came from his tenure in Memphis when the team was known for its "Grit and Grind" era. Those Memphis teams with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol were tough defensively, and the Nuggets could use that type of defensive approach to their advantage. 

Running a team like that could be interesting under a player like Nikola Jokic. Jokic is a solid defensive big man, but Randolph and Gasol played a more physical brand of basketball. 

Dave Joerger has been known to adapt to his team's strengths. When he got to Sacramento, he ran a fast-paced offense that showcased the speed of De'Aaron Fox early in his career. The sped-up offense helped Fox have some big games and moments with the Kings. 

If he is brought in to the coaching staff, it will be interesting to see what he can specifically do to help the Nuggets get over the hump and back to championship status. Denver's offense could look different depending on what roster moves they make as the offseason progresses.