Now that the Nuggets have bolstered their [rotation by adding Cam Johnson and Bruce Brown](https://nugglove.com/nuggets-bring-back-champion-fan-favorite-bolster-bench-rotation), it’s time for the team to address the backup point guard and center positions. Denver suddenly has great depth on the wing, but they don’t have a true center behind Nikola Jokic or a true point guard behind Jamal Murray they can trust.
While his stay in Denver was volatile, the team will miss everything Russell Westbrook provided as a ballhandler, playmaker, and creator off the bench. They still have Jalen Pickett, but it’s unclear whether he figures to be part of the rotation or not.
The team was hoping to back up Jokic last season with Dario Saric, but that signing proved to be a total disaster almost immediately. They tried turning to DeAndre Jordan and Zeke Nnaji, but neither player warranted real minutes, and ultimately, they just shifted Aaron Gordon to the 5 and went small in non-Jokic minutes during the playoffs.
DaRon Holmes II will be back from his injury, but he has zero NBA experience, will be recovering from a major achilles surgery, and it’s not totally clear whether he will be playable at center or just power forward.
Nuggets can sign veteran point guard and center
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The Nuggets still have plenty of [spending power after trading away Michael Porter Jr.’s salary](https://nugglove.com/nuggets-finally-break-through-self-imposed-ceiling-critical-trade) and can be fairly aggressive in free agency. There are still plenty of good veterans on the market who could immediately fill bench roles and help this team out.
It’s a crazy turn from just 24 hours ago when it seemed like the Nuggets were mostly stuck and would be relying on internal development. But now they’ve added Cam Johnson and Bruce Brown while only parting with Michael Porter Jr., and they have much more cap space available than they did yesterday.
We’re still waiting on details of the Brown deal, but the Nuggets should have most of the $14.1 million midlevel exception available, plus the ability to lure in veterans on minimum deals who may want to chase a ring.
It’s outstanding work by the new front office duo of Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace, and suddenly the Nuggts are right back to being one of the favorites to win it all in 2026. It took just one day of free agency for them to solve almost all of their issues.
Now the team is perfectly set up for this year and beyond. They’ve added depth, upgraded the talent, and created financial flexibility. The sky is the limit for the Denver Nuggets.