Denver Nuggets DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Bennett Durado of The Denver Post believes Nuggets guard Christian Braun is expected to be offered a new deal ahead of the 2026-27 season, possibly as early as this fall. The 24-year-old is nearing the end of his rookie agreement. However, he's easily coming off the best season of his career, averaging 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 39.7% shooting from downtown, meaning retaining him is certainly in the team's best interest. The Nuggets will likely try to avoid entering the second round, so who will remain on the roster in the coming years is unknown. Yet, the anticipated movement of certain players moving forward means Braun has an excellent chance to see more scoring opportunities, making him an ideal dynasty stash for fantasy managers.

According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, the Nuggets may keep forward Michael Porter Jr. on the roster, at least for one more season. While Durando didn't rule out the possibility of MPJ getting moved this offseason, vice chairman Josh Kroenke has expressed a desire to keep the team's core together. With that said, the Nuggets' payroll continues to increase, and it is expected to rise even more if forward Christian Braun agrees to a contract extension in the coming months. Yet, finding a suitor for Porter may not be realistic. Although that should change after this season, when he'll have one year left on his current contract. The 26-year-old will certainly draw interest from teams around the National Basketball Association. While he had issues staying healthy at the start of his career, he's appeared in 158 games in the last two seasons. Porter is also coming off one of the best years of his career, ending the 2024-25 campaign by averaging 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 39.5% shooting from behind the arc. Assuming he can stay on the floor and off the injury report, he should remain as productive, regardless of what uniform he is wearing in 2025-26 and beyond.

Denver Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook has undergone surgery on his right hand. The team announced that the procedure was necessary to repair multiple ligament tears in his hand. In the announcement, the Nuggets mentioned that Westbrook is expected to resume full offseason training in the summer. This indicates that he will be at 100 percent for the start of next season. The former MVP has a $3.47 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign. While coming off the bench for most of the season, Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.4 steals in his first year with the Nuggets. He isn't the player he once was, but he can still make an impact in fantasy basketball.

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (hamstring) managed to suit up for Sunday's playoff loss to OKC. Unfortunately, he finished with only eight points, adding 11 rebounds while turning the ball over four times. Had the hamstring strain occurred during the regular season, Gordon likely wouldn't have been out there. However, he gave it his all, although it wasn't enough to stop the Thunder from earning a 32-point win. The 29-year-old finished the regular season by averaging 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. He also shot a career-high 43.6% from deep and was also instrumental in the Nuggets' success throughout the postseason. Still, injuries were an issue for Gordon. But if he stays healthy during the 2025-26 campaign, he should stay relevant for fantasy managers.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray finished with 13 points in Sunday's loss to the Thunder. He added three steals and two assists. This was arguably Murray's worst showing of the series with OKC, especially on the scoring end. He shot a rough 6-for-16 from the field and made only one of his eight attempts from downtown. The 28-year-old averaged 21.4 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.9 boards during the regular season. While his three-point percentage dropped, he at least appeared in 67 games, eight more than the 2023-24 campaign. With that said, Murray has All-Star potential. However, his health is always a concern for fantasy managers, and he's also been known to go cold at times throughout his career.