DENVER (KDVR) — Basketball fans are counting down the days until the start of the NBA season, with high hopes for what their team is going to accomplish during the 2025-26 season.
Some fans will want to just be competitive for the first time in a while, some might be hoping for their team to perform badly and land a top draft pick, others may simply want to make the playoffs, but for Denver Nuggets fans — all eyes are looking towards the ultimate prize — a second NBA championship.
On Tuesday, the Nuggets will step onto the court together for the first official time since the end of last season, when the team was knocked out of the second round of the playoffs after taking the champion Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games.
The Nuggets know they are in their championship window and were aggressive in the offseason, making plenty of changes to the team and the front office.
Here are some of the things to keep an eye on ahead of the start of training camp on Tuesday.
New look Nuggs
For the most part, the Nuggets’ core was kept intact. One of the biggest moves made by the team was trading away Michael Porter Jr., who was a key proponent for the Nuggets and brought the team elite perimeter shooting.
A few key additions were brought in, and the Nuggets may be looking to add another piece or two. Here is every player who got an invite to training camp.
| Player | Position | School/Country | Status |
| Tamar Bates | Shooting guard | Missouri | Two-way contract |
| Christian Braun | Shooting guard/small forward | Kansas | Guaranteed contract |
| Bruce Brown | Shooting guard/small forward | Miami | Guaranteed contract |
| Moses Brown | Center | UCLA | Camp invite |
| Kessler Edwards | Small forward | Pepperdine | Camp invite |
| Aaron Gordon | Power forward | Arizona | Guaranteed contract |
| Tim Hardaway Jr. | Shooting guard | Michigan | Guaranteed contract |
| DaRon Holmes II | Center/power forward | Dayton | Guaranteed contract |
| Cameron Johnson | Small forward | North Carolina | Guaranteed contract |
| Nikola Jokić | Center | Serbia | Guaranteed contract |
| Curtis Jones | Shooting guard | Iowa State | Two-way contract |
| Spencer Jones | Small forward | Stanford | Two-way contract |
| Jamal Murray | Point guard | Kentucky | Guaranteed contract |
| Zeke Nnaji | Power forward | Arizona | Guaranteed contract |
| Jalen Pickett | Point guard | Penn State | Guaranteed contract |
| Julian Strawther | Small forward | Gonzaga | Guaranteed contract |
| Hunter Tyson | Small forward/power forward | Clemson | Guaranteed contract |
| Jonas Valančiūnas | Center | Lithuania | Guaranteed contract |
| Peyton Watson | Small forward/power forward | UCLA | Guaranteed contract |
Adelman and crew
At this point last year, the Nuggets were still playing under the title-winning Michael Malone, who guided the team to its first ring. Skip ahead 12 months, and the Nuggets are now under the watchful eye of David Adelman.
Adelman was given the thankless job of leading the Nuggets in the playoffs after Malone was fired weeks before the postseason. It was sink or swim for Adelman, and while the Nuggets didn’t win the championship — Adelman definitely proved he could swim.
He brought the team within one game of the Western Conference Finals, pushing the eventual champions OKC to the brink in a seven-game series.
Following his success, he shed the interim head coach title and was declared full-time head coach in the summer, and he will look to make a big impact in his first full season.
He immediately got to work filling out the rest of his bench crew and brought in several new assistant coaches, including former NBA veterans and champions.
Former NBA vet Jared Dudley will be the second man in command after impressing during his coaching spell with the Dallas Mavericks. He is backed up by J.J. Barea, who played with the Mavs in his playing career and later worked as a developmental coach for them.
Another addition is Rodney Billups, the younger brother of Detroit Pistons legend and former Nugget Chauncey Billups. He is set to be the director of player development.
Contract situations
This year is going to be an interesting one in terms of contract extensions for the Nuggets. Jokić declined an extension last year that had many people worried about the future of the Nuggets’ star man, but Jokić quickly put the rumors to rest and said he intends to spend his entire career with the Nuggets, and declined the extension to sign a larger contract after this season.
Jokić has obviously proved his worth to the franchise, but there are still many members of the team who aren’t in the same position. Some players have proven their ability to the team and will warrant a new contract or extensions, while others will look to earn their keep and sign with the team.
Four contracts to keep an eye on involve Braun, Watson, Strawther and Pickett.
Braun had a breakout season and is the player from the four who is definitely in the Nuggets’ plans for the future. The other three have definitely shown their flashes of brilliance that may warrant the decision to keep them around longer.
All of them are on their first contract with the Nuggets, which means the team has the option to choose to extend the contracts. None have been in the league long enough for a player option, so this year will be pivotal in solidifying their place on the team or having the Nuggets look for reinforcements elsewhere.
Fresh meat
They’ve all been around the league long enough, but they’re still new to the Denver scene. Well, at least three of them.
The Nuggets acquired some top talent through trades and free agency this season. Three vets, brand new to Denver, and one who was part of the championship team before spending time away from the Nuggets, are ready to bring another ship to the city.
Cam Johnson will look to make the starting position at the three his own and will look to expand on the role that Porter Jr. held with the team. He offers a similar profile, but at a fraction of the price, which freed up space to sign the players below.
Bruce Brown is going to bring nostalgia back to the present and provide some of that grit and energy that was so crucial to the Nuggets during their championship run.
Jonas Valančiūnas will serve as the backup center and will showcase his feathery, methodical scoring that has secured his reputation as an offensive hub in the NBA for more than a decade. The Nuggets have lacked a big man in the non-Jokić minutes for a while now, and Valančiūnas has done everything in his career to prove he is the man for the job and can provide the presence needed for the Nuggets.
Last but not least, Tim Hardaway Jr. is a microwave scorer who has been lighting the NBA up from three for 12 years now. The moment that ball hits his hands, he’s ready to get a shot up. He is a lethal marksman and has a quick-fire trigger, while maintaining a career clip of 36.1% from deep. He will be integral to unlocking a team that struggled from three last season — throw in the passing of Jokić, and Hardaway Jr. is living a shooter’s dream.
The Nuggets training camp will take place across four days in San Diego. From Sept. 30 to Oct. 3, the team will train from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PDT.
On Oct. 4, the Nuggets play their first preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in San Diego.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
