Nuggets Should Bypass Rumored Free Agent Target

One of the Denver Nuggets’ emergent players, Stanford product Spencer Jones is getting a promotion, his contract being converted from a two-way deal to one of a standard variety. However, he’s not the only player that the Nuggets are thinking about handing a contract to. With the 2026 NBA Playoffs on the other side of All-Star Break, they’re “looking into” free agent point guard Lonzo Ball, per The Denver Post reporter Bennett Durando.

Nuggets Should Bypass Rumored Free Agent Target Lonzo Ball

To be clear, Ball isn’t exactly on the buyout market. He never agreed to surrender a portion of his salary in order to secure a release from his team (which would be the Utah Jazz, as the Cleveland Cavaliers traded him and two first-round picks for cash at the deadline). He was simply waived, allowing him to become a free agent.

Semantics aside, it’s understandable why the Nuggets would have Ball on their list of free agent targets. At 6-foot-5, he’s a multi-positional two-way playmaker with a shrewd basketball IQ, advanced passing ability, impactful defense and upside as a 3-point threat. Had the former second overall pick not fallen victim to knee injuries, he might be starting somewhere. After all, he had started in 239 of the 252 games he had played prior to last season.

Putting that aside may not be easy for a team that’s looking to add another ball-handler and defender. Yet, a team whose biggest problem has been the injury bug shouldn’t be focusing on a player that can’t stop getting bit by it. Over the past five seasons, the 28-year-old has played 105 games. Not so fun fact: the amount of games he’s averaged per season (21.0) in that stretch is higher than his combined points, rebounds and assists per game (13.4) since he returned to the court.

Is Mike Conley Jr. An Option?

If the Nuggets are gung-ho on adding a player with that particular set of tools, they may be better off signing Mike Conley. Sure, the 19-year veteran has been a shadow of himself this season and he isn’t exactly 100 percent healthy. Yet, he’s played in over 70 games three times since the 2021-22 season. He also would come to Denver with extensive playoff experience (108 games), whereas Ball has never played in the postseason.

Then again, Conley is expected to re-join the Minnesota Timberwolves as a free agent. Ordinarily, this would be illegal. Due to “the Zydrunas Ilgauskus rule,” teams can’t sign a player they traded until a calendar year has passed. Yet, Conley had been traded twice at the deadline and then released, creating a loophole (“the Andrew Bogut rule“).

Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz Could Be Dark Horses

There are other players that can be trusted, on some level, as play initiators and perimeter defenders. Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz –both currently free agents –are the first players that come to mind.

Simmons, a three-time All-Star, is the most accomplished of the three. He bears the most similarity to the currently injured Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, physically and skill-wise. Per 36 minutes, the 6-foot-10 dime-dropper averaged a near triple-double –9.2 points, 9.0 assists, and 8.7 rebounds per game –during his two-plus seasons with the Brooklyn Nets. Nevertheless, his nagging back injuries and refusal to shoot the 3-ball make him a subpar option for the Nuggets.

Like Simmons, Fultz is a fallen former first overall pick whose injuries sapped him of his superpowers. Nonetheless, he was on the court in 2024-25, signed by the Sacramento Kings last February. He only appeared in 21 contests, averaging 8.8 minutes per game. However, when he played 10+ minutes, the Kings went 5-3 (they were 40-42 on the season) while he stood out in a low-usage role. Possessing solid size at 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds, he may be the better pick.