The Denver Nuggets are no longer part of LeBron James’ free agency plans, and the front office has other things to worry about this summer.
LeBron James is running out of teams willing to chase him, and the Denver Nuggets are no longer one of them.
Shams Charania reported this week that the Nuggets have been removed from James’ list of potential free agency destinations, ending a pursuit that once looked like one of the more interesting subplots of this offseason.
James left the Los Angeles Lakers after informing the team he would not be back next season, and Denver reached out shortly after, hoping to pair the 41-year-old with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray for a run at one more championship.
Charania said James is looking for a competitive environment because he "wants to play meaningful basketball," but that place will not be the Mile High City.
Why Denver Made Sense
The fit made too much sense to ignore, especially with Jokic wrapping up one of the best all-around seasons the league has ever seen, averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists a game while becoming the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounding and assists in the same season.
Murray was right there with him, earning his first career All-Star selection after putting up 25.4 points, 7.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds a night.
Then there is James, who still managed 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds a game in his final season with the Lakers despite turning 41 in December, and putting those three together would have given Denver one of the most skilled cores in basketball.
Rich Paul reportedly kept the Nuggets on his whiteboard of realistic landing spots, and James’ relationship with Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke only added to the belief that Denver had a real shot.
The Nuggets already won a championship together in 2023, and finishing 54-28 this past season showed the roster still has plenty of talent even after a rough stretch of injuries.
What Denver Does Now
Denver’s actual offseason work does not change much without James, especially with Jokic already telling reporters in Serbia that his plan is to sign his next extension in the summer of 2027 rather than this year, a decision that keeps him committed to the Nuggets long-term while letting him wait for a bigger payday.
That gives the front office some breathing room, and Jon Wallace has already pointed to shooting, defense and ball-handling as the areas Denver needs to address around its core.
Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray remain on the trade radar as the front office looks for ways to reshape the roster and create space to keep restricted free agent Peyton Watson, who is drawing plenty of outside interest himself, and Denver was always going to need to make roster moves this summer regardless of what James decided.
The front office can now put its full attention toward the parts of the offseason actually within its control instead of a decision that was never really theirs to make.
