Without a doubt, the Denver Nuggets have made serious improvements to their roster in real life and in fantasy basketball. It started with trading forward Michael Porter Jr. and a first-round pick to the Nets for Cam Johnson. They also traded Dario Saric for veteran center, Jonas Valanciunas. Lastly, they signed Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. to one-year contracts. By all accounts, the Nuggets have aced free agency so far. They traded the huge contract of Porter Jr., and got back Johnson, who might be the better overall player. Valanciunas is a much more tolerable backup big man compared to DeAndre Jordan. Hardaway Jr. can bring a bench scoring presence, and Brown is a fan favorite in Denver from the 2023 championship team. But what does this mean for the Nuggets in fantasy basketball? There are three main takeaways I have from this offseason so far. Let’s get into it.
The Fantasy Impact of the Nuggets’ Offseason Moves
1) Nikola Jokic Might be Better Than Ever
My first takeaway is that Nikola Jokic might be better than last season. To start, this is probably the most complete Nuggets roster in the Jokic-led era. Most of this does have to do with the Nuggets trading Porter Jr. He provided the Nuggets with very good rebounding for their small forward, as he averaged 7.0 rebounds per game in the regular season. You replace him with Johnson who is not the same rebounder that MPJ is, and more rebounds are up for grabs. With the other roster improvements, it’s hard to imagine a world where Jokic does not have a better fantasy season in 2025-26.
2) Who Fills the Russell Westbrook Production?
My next takeaway is a question: Who is going to fill the production that Russell Westbrook provided last season? Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game. No matter how you slice it, Westbrook was a very productive bench piece (also started 36 games) all season long for the Nuggets. Now, I do believe that there will be multiple players that pick up the slack, but to me, the main beneficiary is Jamal Murray. The Nuggets have no real point guards other than Murray on the roster as of right now. With the Valanciunas signing, there is going to be room for minutes where Murray gets to run the offense. I expect Brown and Hardaway Jr. to also contribute more as well. Lastly, Julian Strawther is going to get more playing time, and he should capitalize on it. Look for these trends next fantasy season.
3) Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun Continue to Improve
My last takeaway is that Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun will continue to grow in their roles. For Braun, he has gotten better each season of his career. It hasn’t yet translated to playoff basketball, but Braun in the regular season shot 39.7 percent on three-pointers. Gordon also shot a career high 43.6 percent on three-pointers in the regular season. Getting an improved playmaker in Johnson is only going to help with the flow of this offense. If Gordon can carry that playoff production into next season, and Braun can keep consistently growing as he has shown, watch out for these two players in fantasy basketball next season.
The Last Word
So far this offseason, the Nuggets have replaced Michael Porter Jr., DeAndre Jordan, and Russell Westbrook for Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas in their rotation. This new front office has shown great signs so far, and they have greatly improved the Nuggets roster already. For fantasy basketball next season, watch for an even better statistical season from Nikola Jokic, more production from Jamal Murray, and the elevation of Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun yet again.
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