Nuggets Showing ‘Strong’ Interest In Alpha Diallo

Former Providence standout Alpha Diallo, who has been playing for AS Monaco for the past five years, is poised to make a move to Dubai Basketball for the 2026/27 season. However, Diallo’s new agreement with Dubai includes an NBA opt-out clause until July 15, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com, who says the 6’7″ forward is drawing “strong” interest from the Nuggets ahead of that deadline.

Diallo made the All-Big East second team twice before going undrafted in 2020 and has since emerged as one of the top defensive players in Europe. In fact, the 29-year-old won the EuroLeague Best Defender award this season after finishing third in voting a year ago. That award is voted on by EuroLeague head coaches.

In 42 total EuroLeague outings for AS Monaco in 2025/26, Diallo averaged 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 steals in 27.9 minutes per game. His 57 total steals ranked first in the league, and Urbonas notes he also placed first among forwards in points allowed per possession (0.844).

Diallo won domestic championships with Monaco in France’s top league (LNB Élite) in 2023, 2024, and 2026, and helped lead the team to the EuroLeague final four in 2025.

The Nuggets currently only have eight players on standard contracts, though they’ve reportedly reached minimum-salary deals with Tyus Jones and Marvin Bagley III and they continue to negotiate with restricted free agents Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones. There’s some positional overlap between Watson, Jones, and Diallo, so it’s not clear if Denver’s potential interest in Diallo would hinge on what happens with those RFAs.

Given their cap situation, the Nuggets may not be in position to offer more than a minimum-salary contract to Diallo, since using any portion of their mid-level exception would hard-cap them at the second tax apron.