A year after winning their first NBA Championship in franchise history, the Denver Nuggets only reached the Western Conference Semifinals. Now, it’s up to team executive Calvin Booth and coach Mike Malone to try unlocking the recipe for more NBA Finals success.
Most of the Nuggets’ core is already in place. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray aren’t going anywhere, and chances are, Michael Porter Jr isn’t available either. But several other moving parts could shake up the roster, including Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s pending player option that could send him to free agency.
But before we can dive into Denver’s NBA free agency targets, the Nuggets have to focus on the 2024 NBA Draft, which tips off on June 26. The Nuggets hold the 28th pick in the first round and also the 56th overall pick, which will take place on Day 2 — June 27.
Denver Nuggets reportedly targeting DaRon Holmes II
It’s hard enough to project who the Nuggets could take when they’re on the clock, let alone a week before the draft even begins. Yet, somehow there’s a heavy amount of smoke suggesting the Nuggets already have a strong idea on which prospect they covet most.
According to ESPN’s NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony, the Nuggets are expected to draft Dayton big man DaRon Holmes II. In fact, this isn’t even a secret; several NBA teams are operating under the assumption that Denver has already promised to select Holmes for next week’s draft.
“Most NBA teams are operating under the assumption Holmes has received a promise from the Nuggets, although it is possible the team might attempt to trade down a few spots into the second round to draft him for financial reasons. Holmes canceled a half-dozen workouts shortly after the NCAA withdrawal deadline, with several smoking guns pointing in Denver’s direction, a scenario that is similar to what we saw play out last year with Jalen Pickett.”
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on Denver Nuggets’ interest in DaRon Holmes II
We hear stories of a player receiving a pre-draft promise from various teams each and every draft period. This is nothing new. Yet, for several other NBA teams to already know who Denver is targeting? This one feels a bit fishy.
Teams love to play games with other organizations, and sometimes, they like to play tricks on the media. What good does it do for everyone to know the Nuggets’ draft plans? There’s always the possibility that this report is being leaked in an attempt by Denver to get others more interested in Holmes, thus leaving one of their true targets available at pick No. 28.
Then again, maybe the Nuggets really are in love with the idea of adding Holmes to the roster. We’re just not sure how that information got leaked, especially to several other teams.
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