Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward/guard DeMar DeRozan (10) gestures between plays against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
The Denver Nuggets had to let Peyton Watson go after he agreed to a four-year, $88 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, becoming one of their biggest additions of the offseason. Denver lost its best perimeter defender in the process, leaving another pretty important hole on the wing entering 2026-27.
Not long after that move, Chris Haynes reported that DeMar DeRozan intended to sign with the Nuggets, and he eventually agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million veteran-minimum deal after spending more than a month in free agency following his July exit from the Sacramento Kings. DeRozan is still productive at 37 years old, coming off 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists across 77 games.
Still, a lineup featuring Jamal Murray, DeRozan, and Nikola Jokic could become a defensive nightmare, especially after losing Watson. Christian Braun is now Denver’s main perimeter defender, but he is coming off an underwhelming postseason, and he is set to make $21.6 million next season.
That is why Denver still urgently needs more point-of-attack defense and another wing capable of taking difficult assignments before this roster becomes too offensive-heavy. Here are three defensive wings the Nuggets should explore next to DeRozan.
3. Justin Champagnie
Denver Nuggets Receive: Justin Champagnie
Washington Wizards Receive: Zeke Nnaji, 2031 second-round pick (via Kings)
Justin Champagnie makes only $2.7 million next season, and he is coming off a pretty productive year with the Wizards, posting 8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 69 games while shooting 50.2% from the field. The three dropped to 31.9%, but he had already shot 38.3% from deep one year earlier, so there is at least some history of him being able to hit open shots.
The defense isn’t elite, but it has some things Denver needs badly. Champagnie ended in the 96th percentile in defensive versatility, 67th percentile in deflections, and 69th percentile in block rate, which fits a 6-foot-6 wing who can guard different positions. His overall DPM was only in the 36th percentile, so I wouldn’t sell him as some elite stopper, but the versatility and rebounding would still give the Nuggets another body to throw at wings instead of asking Braun to handle every star wing.
The contract makes this much more interesting too. Zeke Nnaji is owed $7.5 million next season, so a Nnaji-based trade for Champagnie would cut around $4.8 million from Denver’s payroll while also adding a wing at a position of need. The Wizards also get a second-round pick, but Denver just got more draft capital in the Watson deal and should be looking for ways to lower salary anyway.
Champagnie wouldn’t replace Watson by himself, and that shouldn’t be the expectation. For $2.7 million, getting a 24-year-old wing who can rebound, switch across several matchups, and give around nine points in 20 minutes would already be pretty good value.
2. Ochai Agbaji
Ochai Agbaji is probably the biggest shooting gamble of these three, but he also has the physical profile Denver should be looking for. The Nets declined to give him a qualifying offer this summer, leaving the 26-year-old available on the market after he put up 5.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 62 games last season. He shot only 43.6% from the field and 26.6% from three, which explains why he is still available this late in free agency.
Still, one bad shooting season shouldn’t completely erase what he did in 2024-25. Agbaji started 45 games for the Raptors that year and finished with 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 39.9% from three on 4.0 attempts per game. Denver wouldn’t need him forcing shots, so getting anything close to that shooting season would make him much easier to keep on the floor.
Defense is where Agbaji still has a real case. Basketball Index had him in the 83rd percentile in perimeter isolation defense and 78th percentile in defensive positional versatility last season, while he has ranked at least in the 87th percentile in matchup difficulty in every year of his career.
And if you want an even stronger stat, Agbaji ranked in the 94th percentile in perimeter isolation defense, 90th percentile in ball-screen navigation, and 99th percentile in off-ball chaser defense during the 2024-25 season.
At this stage of August, Denver could try to get him on a minimum deal and basically bet that the 26.6% from three was an ugly outlier instead of his new normal. For a Nuggets team with no spending flexibility, that is the type of low-cost gamble I would take every time.
1. Dalen Terry
Dalen Terry would be my favorite of the three because he is younger, cheaper, and already known as a pretty strong defender without needing a large role. The 76ers waived him in late July after initially picking up his option, so the 24-year-old is available as a free agent, and Denver could try to bring him in on a minimum contract without giving up anything.
The basic stats aren’t going to impress anybody. Terry finished 2025-26 with 3.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 48 games, shooting 43.9% from the field and 36.4% from three. He has never been a scorer and probably never will be, but Denver already has an elite starting lineup handling the important offensive chores anyway.
Terry’s defense becomes more interesting once you look at how often he actually creates events. During his 34 games with the Bulls last season, he had 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per 36 minutes, a 2.7% steal rate and 2.5% block rate, while opponents scored at only a 111.2 defensive rating during his minutes. At 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, that gives Denver another wing who can pressure the ball, get into passing lanes, and still bother shots.
Terry could take some of the harder guard and wing assignments, move the ball, and stand in the corner when Jokic has possession. His 36.4% from three last season came on low volume, so I wouldn’t suddenly call him a real floor spacer, but it is enough to at least give Denver something to work with.
For a minimum contract, this one feels pretty simple to me. The Nuggets just lost their best perimeter defender and don’t have the money to properly replace him, so taking a cheap shot on a 24-year-old who already grades positively on defense makes a lot more sense than signing another veteran scorer.
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