Why Ryan Nembhard Would Be a Good Fit for Nuggets

This offseason, the Denver Nuggets have been walking on a tightrope in free agency due to their salary cap situation. The Nuggets are not far from having to pay the luxury tax and have not made many significant additions to their roster. 

The franchise decided to trade away guard Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers after both sides could not reach an agreement on a long-term deal. To replace that production, Denver brought in veteran small forward DeMar DeRozan on a veteran minimum deal. 

They have also brought in players on cheaper contracts like Alpha Diallo and Lonnie Walker IV, and they re-signed forward Spencer Jones to a two-year deal. 

While it feels like the Nuggets may have the roster ready for the regular season, one issue they have is their guard depth. The two clear starters are going to be Jamal Murray and Christian Braun, but the bench is a bit of a question mark going into this season.  

Behind Murray and Braun are players who were not very productive in 2025-2026. Those players are Tyus Jones and KJ Simpson. Jones was added to the roster in the middle of last season after his short stint with the Dallas Mavericks, and he did not see much court time with the Nuggets. 

Simpson is a younger player who has been developing with the team since he arrived in the middle of the season last year, and he has only appeared in 6 games with Denver. 

One player the Nuggets could be targeting ahead of training camp that could fill that backup guard role is Ryan Nembhard. 

Nembhard was waived by the Charlotte Hornets, and while he has not officially cleared waivers, NBA insider Marc Stein reports that the Nuggets are a team that is interested in signing him once he does. 

Stein also reports that Nembhard is going to be looking for a team that needs guard depth as well, making both parties seem to have mutual interest. 

Last season, Nembhard averaged 6.6 points per game, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 60 appearances with the Dallas Mavericks. He also started in 27 of those games, giving him some experience in terms of getting real minutes. 

If the Nuggets can find a way to get more production from the backup guards, this team can be more complete. This roster is filled with veterans in every position, and if they can find a way to get production out of a young guard, it will raise their ceiling.