Free-agent star DeMar DeRozan intends to sign with the Denver Nuggets, league sources told NBA insider Chris Haynes on Friday.
The move was later reported as a one-year, $3.9 million deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and others.
DeRozan, 37, joins Denver after spending the previous two seasons with the Sacramento Kings. He was waived by Sacramento in July after averaging 18.4 points, 4.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game across 77 appearances during the 2025-26 season.
The veteran scorer gives Denver another proven offensive weapon alongside Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. According to Haynes, DeRozan had been in conversations with the Nuggets’ core and was eager for an opportunity to play for a legitimate contender.
The signing comes shortly after Denver traded Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a five-team sign-and-trade. The Nuggets received Cleveland’s unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-round selection in the deal.
DeRozan enters his 18th NBA season as one of the league’s most accomplished active scorers. The No. 9 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, he is a six-time All-Star and ranks 16th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,711 points.
While DeRozan has spent most of his career as a starter, his role in Denver could potentially see him provide scoring and late-game shot creation for the second unit. His ability to create his own shot, particularly from the mid-range, gives the Nuggets another option when Jokić and Murray aren’t on the floor.
For Denver, the addition represents a low-cost gamble on an established veteran who still averaged nearly 20 points per game last season.
DeRozan to Denver. Jokić with another bucket-getter.
