The Denver Nuggets have been making moves so far this offseason in an effort to put a contending group of players around Nikola Jokic on the floor. The duo of Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace were essentially made co-general managers of the organization by Josh Kroenke, Vice Chairman of KSE, and have stepped up to the challenge of reimagining the roster.

The front office traded away Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson, traded away Dario Saric for Jonas Valanciunas and signed Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. to minimum contracts. All four transactions were great moves for the Nuggets moving forward, but with one roster spot still open, there’s still one thing missing from the roster — a backup point guard behind Jamal Murray.

The Nuggets have had some solid backup point guards in recent years with Monte Morris, Reggie Jackson and Russell Westbrook. With Westbrook not picking up his player option this offseason, the only point guard in town is Jalen Pickett, who could be a good player eventually but is largely unproven at the NBA level. In 49 games this season, Pickett averaged just 13.6 minutes per game in a limited role as he didn’t see much action at the start of the season. However, he saw real minutes down the stretch, highlighted by 17-point triple double against the San Antonio Spurs in April.

If the Nuggets go into the offseason with Pickett as the main backup, that would be fine, but for a team that has real championship aspirations, it would benefit them to also have a proven veteran in the arsenal. Who could they go after to fill that void?

Monte Morris

Morris, now 30 years old, is an unrestricted free agent who hasn’t found a new home yet. He spent the first five years of his career with the Nuggets up until 2022, and has played on four teams in three years since then. He has a career 3.6:0.7 assist-to-turnover ratio, as he’s always been a playmaker who takes care of the ball. He has battled injuries since leaving Denver, as he’s only played in 78 games the past two seasons and has also seen his field goal percentage drop to around 40%. He’s familiar with Jokic, Murray and Gordon, and would be a guy that wouldn’t hurt to bring back.

MONTE. MORRIS.

GAME-WINNING BUZZER BEATER 🔥 pic.twitter.com/D15sxl3U0F

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 17, 2022

Malcolm Brogdon

Brogdon, 32, is another unrestricted free agent that would make sense for the Nuggets to pick up on a minimum contract. The 2017 NBA Rookie of the Year and 2023 Sixth Man of the Year averaged 12.7/3.8/4.1 splits in just 24 games with the Washington Wizards, the least amount of games he’s played in his nine-year career thanks to an ankle sprain and a ligament injury in his shooting hand. He shot just 28.6% from 3-point range this past season, a far drop from just two seasons prior when he shot almost 45% with the Boston Celtics. He turns the ball over a little more than Morris, but most guards in the league are in the same boat.

This is another one that wouldn’t be much of a risk for Denver’s front office if they can bring him in on a minimum contract. He’s played a lot of basketball, especially in the playoffs, scored a lot of points, and is also an elite free throw shooter.

Malcolm Brogdon highlights 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8rtJYrsGcZ

— ☘️VishDaCelticFan☘️ MORE CHIPS THAN LA (@stylevish1) June 17, 2023

Seth Curry

Curry’s ride through the NBA has been a roller coaster, as he’s played for nine different teams in 11 years. He’s played in 41 playoff games and has been around a lot of the game’s top players, despite spending his last two seasons down in Charlotte.

This signing would be much different from the previous two, as Curry is more of a shooter/scorer instead of a playmaker. He’s made over 43% of his 3-pointers in his career, including 45.6% this past season. He would likely need Jokic on the floor with him in order to have someone distribute him the ball, which would then create more time with Jokic and Murray on the court individually than with each other. This one is less realistic, since the Nuggets need more playmaking than shooting from this role, but more shooting isn’t a bad thing around Jokic.

Seth Curry tribute.

stats as a Charlotte Hornet (76 GP):

• 6.8 PPG
• 44.8 3PT%
• 86.3 FT%

Seth will not return to the Hornets next year.

🎥: via Hornets pic.twitter.com/Bcvw5GjylH

— Hornets Muse (@_HornetsMuse_) July 16, 2025

Cameron Payne

Here’s a guy who has played a ton of playoff hoops. He was a crucial role player on the 2021 Phoenix Suns team that won the Western Conference and filled in when needed this past season for the New York Knicks. While Nuggets fans may not like him for his beef with Jokic back in the ’21 playoffs, he would still be a decent guy to have in the locker room as a depth piece on a team-friendly contract.

However, his numbers drastically dipped in the playoffs this year as he shot under 25% from distance. Not a good sign for Nuggets fans who are looking for reliable guys who won’t let them down come playoff time.

Payne also isn’t the greatest defender in the world as an aging guard, but has a good assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.2:1.1. He shouldn’t be the first on Tenzer and Wallace’s lists, but isn’t the worst guy they can bring to Denver.

These are just four of many targets that the Nuggets could still go after if they choose to. They all play a little differently for each other, but would be solid additions on minimum deals to fill that 15th and final roster spot. The one common trait between them is that none of them are necessarily great defenders, but the Nuggets would benefit more by signing an offensive guy in this spot. If they did want to go with a defender, the Warriors’ Gary Payton II is still on the market, but he’s more of a 2-guard that doesn’t run a lot of offense, and instead just cuts and slashes on that side of the floor.

Also, the Nuggets don’t have to fill this spot if they don’t want to because of cap reasons, and can just roll with the young guys they have repping the franchise in the Summer League. However, it wouldn’t hurt to shop around and see who’s out there for a low cap hit.