The Denver Nuggets had one of the best offseasons in the NBA. The Nuggets swapped out Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson, a player who's a similarly effective shooter but brings more on defense and as a playmaker. They also signed Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown in free agency to take on big roles for the bench unit. Brown was a key member of Denver's 2023 title team. Furthermore, they traded for Jonas Valanciunas. The big man was considering a move to Europe, but he has since confirmed his commitment to the Nuggets, giving the team arguably their best Nikola Jokic backup in years.
It wasn't a 100% perfect offseason for Denver, though. There is one painfully obvious move that the team should have made. The Nuggets, who have one roster spot open, are most thin at backup point guard with Russell Westbrook not expected back. Assuming Brown will spend less time at the one and more time on the wing, Jalen Pickett is the only point guard under contract who can back Jamal Murray up. So, who should the Nuggets have signed to fill that role?
The Nuggets should have shored up the backup point guard position
Chris Paul didn't sign until deep in free agency, and the Nuggets never had reported interest in the soon-to-be 21-year veteran. The all-time great point guard ended up signing with the Los Angeles Clippers, a team he spent a good chunk of his prime with. Paul is 40 years old and joins a team with James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Nic Batum, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Brook Lopez, and Bradley Beal, all of whom are well into their 30s. Ivica Zubac and John Collins aren't far from age-30, either. With an average age of 33.2, the Clippers are the oldest team in NBA history.
The 12-time All-Star would have been a better fit in Denver. Of course, Paul has familiarity and a legacy with the Clippers, so it does make some sense for him to end his career there. The Nuggets are better prepared to make an NBA Finals run, though.
A championship ring is the one thing that has evaded Paul throughout his career. In fact, he is arguably the best player ever to never win a championship. Nobody would have blamed Paul if he ring-chased in his final season, and the Nuggets may have provided him the best opportunity to actually win the NBA Finals.
Denver won the championship just two years ago. The Nuggets also gave the Oklahoma City Thunder more of a run for their money than anybody else in the Western Conference, despite the fact that they were beat up. Jokic is the best player in the NBA, largely because his basketball IQ and his passing ability are matched by few, if any. Paul is one of the few players who is as smart and as great at setting up his teammates, though.
Opposing teams just wouldn't have the brains to stop Paul and Jokic if they were paired up. There are plenty of great shooting threats and slashers in Denver that Paul would have thrived playing alongside. Jamal Murray is an All-Star-caliber player, and Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon are vicious dunkers.
Paul likely only has one season left, and it would have made a ton of sense for both him and the Nuggets to agree to a deal that would have brought him to Denver on a minimum contract. Instead, Paul is making just over $2 million to play on an old Clippers team that is battered by injuries every year and is never capable of getting past the Nuggets in the postseason.
Are there any options left in free agency?
When it comes to remaining free agents, the first name that comes to mind at the point guard position for the Nuggets is Russell Westbrook. The future Hall of Famer had somewhat of a resurgence in Denver last year, as his passing and improved 3-point shooting meshed well when he played with Jokic and the starters. His energy was also helpful when he played with a bench unit that has notoriously struggled over the years.
Westbrook averaged 13.3 points and 6.1 assists per game, numbers that were sizable improvements off what he did during his last season with the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite the success, Westbrook declined his player option for 2025-26, and both he and the Nuggets have seemingly decided to go their separate ways. Westbrook has commonly been linked to the Sacramento Kings this offseason.
He no longer looks like as great of a fit for the Nuggets. Valanciunas is the new backup center in Denver, and he and Westbrook don't seem like a great pairing. Valanciunas plays at a much slower pace than Westbrook. Because Brodie is unlikely to return and Paul will be playing in Los Angeles, if the Nuggets decide to pursue a point guard for their final roster spot, they could go after Malcolm Brogdon.
Brogdon has averaged double-digit scoring marks in nine straight seasons. He is a former Rookie of the Year winner who would provide the steady presence off the bench that Denver is looking for. Injuries are a concern with Brogdon. After all, he only played 24 games last year and 39 games the year before. Murray doesn't need somebody to take on a heavy workload behind him on the depth chart, though. If Brogdon misses time, Brown does have experience playing the point, and Pickett showed flashes of being a reliable rotation option last season.
