Unlike contenders such as the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, the Denver Nuggets still can strengthen their roster this season.
The buyout market isn’t great, but the organization should be able to find an impactful asset to help them down the stretch of the 2025-26 season. Sports Illustrated’s Joey Akeley predicts the Nuggets will pair Nikola Jokic with a 27-year-old Lakers outcast.
“On Monday, The Stein Line’s Marc Stein wrote that ‘there were some fresh rumbles over the weekend that the Warriors might opt not to sign Lonzo Ball,” Akeley wrote Thursday.
“It’s not clear if they saw something in his medical they didn’t like or if the initial reports overstated their interest, but the Warriors’ hesitation is the Nuggets’ gain.”
Offensively, there isn’t much to be excited about with Ball. The UCLA product has taken a noticeable step back as a perimeter shooter and isn’t the playmaker/distributor he was earlier in his career. Additionally, Ball hasn’t had the best luck with injuries, as he can’t be depended upon to stay healthy and remain in his organization’s lineup.
That said, Ball is a veteran point guard who will likely hang his hat on the defensive end moving forward, which could be enticing to the Nuggets if they’re looking to bolster their guard depth.
Time will tell if Akeley’s prediction is correct.
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