It was only a matter of time before the Denver Nuggets made some kind of major move this offseason and after officially missing out on Peyton Watson after executing a sign-and-trade deal that sent Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers, though they did receive Julian Reese and two draft picks in return, the pressure was on for the Nuggets. 

Their major move has now come to fruition after it was reported that the Nuggets are signing six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan to one-year, $3.9 million contract, per a report from ESPN's Shams Charania.

DeRozan last played for the Sacramento Kings from 2024-26 and has played for four teams total in his career prior to signing with the Nuggets. Last season with the Kings DeRozan averaged 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.0 steal in 31.21 minutes per game while playing an encouraging 77 games last season. 

Those numbers were a step down from DeRozan's past averages and 18.4 points per game was his lowest scoring average since his fourth season in the NBA in 2012-13, but despite DeRozan's age and the fact that he'll be going into his 18th season, he's still shown that he can be a dependable offensive option and being able to play around a playmaker and offensive focal point like Nikola Jokic should only help DeRozan's numbers. 

The Nuggets needed to do something this offseason after only making small, supplemental moves ahead of a season that could play a part in determining Jokic's future in Denver after he delayed contract extension talks yet again, and while signing in DeRozan isn't the biggest splash that Denver could have made, it is a move that helps move them forward. 

On top of his experience and his versatility, DeRozan's consistent health the last few seasons is another plus for Denver to have on the squad after a 2025-26 season where nearly all of their starters went down with injuries and missed significant time.

DeRozan can play either forward positions or at shooting guard and with Aaron Gordon's injury history, DeRozan could be filling in at the four quite often should Gordon continue to miss significant time next season. 

For Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson though, Denver's resident shooting guard and small forward respectively, there may be some competition for either of their starting spots with DeRozan on the roster. 

That issue will be up to head coach David Adelman after training camp, though, but for now Denver has gotten it's newest offensive standout, if only for a season.