DeMar DeRozan Joins Nuggets In Bid For First NBA Championship

Nuggets sign DeRozan 

Nuggets add Veteran scoring with DeMar DeRozan on $3.9M one-year Contract deal.

DeRozan is a three-time All-NBA selection and one of the league’s most durable players...

The Denver Nuggets have signed six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan to a one-year contract.  

DeRozan, 37, is set for his 18th NBA season. He averaged 18.4 points per game with Sacramento last year, his lowest scoring average since 2012-13 when he put up 18.1 PPG.  

The move came just after Denver traded Peyton Watson to Cleveland in a multi-team deal that also involved the Clippers and Wizards. [details here].

NBA insider Chris Haynes was first to report the deal.

DeMar DeRozan has been in conversations with Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray and is anxious for the opportunity to play for a contending team, sources say. Denver adds another veteran clutch bucket-getter. https://t.co/ONqDT9xqxl

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 21, 2026

Prior to last season, DeRozan had strung together 10 straight years averaging at least 20 PPG, establishing himself as one of the NBA’s most reliable scorers. Over the last five seasons he’s also shot at least 85% from the free-throw line and 32% from three every year.

It’s unclear how Denver plans to use DeRozan in the rotation next season. He played 31.2 minutes per game last year, his lowest workload since averaging 21.6 as a rookie in 2009.

DeRozan is a three-time All-NBA selection and one of the league’s most durable players. Outside of the shortened 2020 COVID season, he’s played fewer than 70 games in a year just three times in his career.

With 26,711 career points, DeRozan ranks second among active players without a championship, trailing only James Harden’s 29,339.