Three notes from the last week after the Nuggets returned from the All-Star break with a shaky three-game road trip and an impressive bounce-back win over the Celtics.
Buyout market deadline approaching
The Nuggets are interested in using their 15th roster spot to add forward depth as a key deadline approaches for buyout candidates, league sources told The Denver Post this week.
March 1 (this Sunday) is the last day players can be waived by a team and remain eligible to appear in playoff games for a different team. They don’t have to sign with a new team by March 1, but they must be released from their previous contract by that date.
After trading Hunter Tyson and converting Spencer Jones to a standard minimum contract, Denver has enough salary wiggle room to sign a 15th player for the rest of the season and stay under the luxury tax. The addition of KJ Simpson on a two-way contract last week doesn’t count against the salary cap.
Kyle Anderson was one of the candidates the Nuggets considered, according to league sources, but he chose to reunite with the rival Timberwolves on Thursday after Memphis bought out his contract. “Slo Mo” was on the Minnesota team that Denver eliminated en route to the 2023 NBA title — and the Minnesota team that got payback the next year with a Game 7 comeback at Ball Arena.
Khris Middleton (Dallas) is a key name to watch in the next few days, as Denver has already shown interest, sources told The Post. Like Anderson, he could provide the Nuggets with size on the wing and ball-handling, another skillset they’ve felt short on this season with Aaron Gordon in and out of the lineup.
According to a report by Marc Stein, the Mavericks are leaving it up to Middleton to decide whether he wants to play out the season with them or get bought out to join a contender. The 34-year-old scored a season-high 25 points last Sunday, along with seven rebounds and seven assists. He’s currently dealing with a mild right shoulder injury, but he was able to play on Thursday. Middleton won an NBA title with Milwaukee and an Olympic goal medal with Team USA in 2021. A 6-foot-7 shot creator, he’s regarded as one of the best players in Bucks history. If he’s bought out, multiple playoff teams could pursue him.
The Nuggets have been content to exercise patience in recent weeks and see who becomes available in case any dark horses emerge, but the market hasn’t exactly been abundant with forwards.
Spencer Jones (21) of the Denver Nuggets defends Kawhi Leonard (2) of the LA Clippers during the fourth quarter at Ball Arena in Denver on Friday, January 30, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Spencer Jones bets on himself
Jones could have sought more long-term security in the NBA with his first standard contract. The Nuggets, who are in need of cheap cap hits after this season, wouldn’t have minded converting him for more than just the next few months at a team-friendly salary. Instead, the former two-way wing negotiated for the opportunity to be a restricted free agent this summer, he told The Post.
“It was preferred (this way). I kind of wanted the optionality,” Jones said. “And I love Denver. But I just wanted to keep the optionality open. I was happy they were able to let me do that. I’m really happy with the decision. Like I said, I love it here. Definitely want to stay here.”
With Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson close to returning from injuries, Jones seems unlikely to start seven more games and trigger the “starter criteria” that would increase his qualifying offer to more than $5 million. Still, his emergence as a rotation-caliber 3-and-D player could theoretically attract an offer sheet from another team this offseason or enable him to negotiate a new deal with Denver.
The Nuggets decided they wanted to convert Jones weeks before the trade deadline, but the process was delayed until after the All-Star break because he suffered a concussion in early February. The Nuggets were incentivized to slow-play it because a smaller prorated salary for Jones helped them stay out of the luxury tax. His exact prorated cap hit came out to $623,967, according to Spotrac.
“The concussion was definitely annoying in terms of how untimely it was,” Jones told The Post. “But it gave us a chance to really look at how we wanted to set it up.”
Jones is averaging 5.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game this season. The Stanford grad is shooting 41.5% beyond the arc.
“It’s great to not have that little asterisk with the two-way anymore,” he said. “To fully feel like you’re part of the team. Obviously, everybody had embraced me (before), but it’s nice to get that contractually.”
Julian Strawther (3) of the Nuggets passes as Jaylen Brown (7) of the Boston Celtics defends during the second quarter at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday, February 25, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Julian Strawther is past his back pain
It’s been an odd year for Strawther. He had a steady job last season but lost his spot in the everyday rotation when the Nuggets acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency. He couldn’t buy a bucket in October or early November when limited playing time presented itself. Then he was inactive for a month with lower back pain that he told The Post extended into his hip area. When he came back, his slump continued with a 6-for-21 stretch from 3-point range over 14 games.
“The only person you can lean on is yourself,” he told The Post. “The league moves so fast. And there’s only so much that other people can do in terms of worrying about what other people got going on. So it’s one of those things where you’ve just gotta (deal with the frustration) by yourself.”
Now he’s playing arguably the best basketball of his career. When Adelman was short on forwards in early February, he decided to go small in the starting lineup. He wanted to keep Hardaway in his usual sub pattern off the bench. Strawther got the starting nod in Chicago and scored an efficient 19 points. He was one of the only bright spots in an unconvincing win over the Bulls.
Adelman has stuck with him as a starter for seven consecutive games, a run that could be ending soon as the Nuggets get healthy. But in those games, Strawther has scored in double figures six times and shot 40% from three. He’s averaging 15 points and 3.3 rebounds since Feb. 7.
“It was a super-weird little thing going on with my back,” he said. “It was something I had dealt with a little bit when I was at Gonzaga my freshman year. It’s just one of them things where with the back, you’ve gotta be careful. Gotta take all the precautions because you don’t want that stuff to linger. … I feel 100% now. I feel completely healthy.”
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