Projecting the Nuggets' Starting Lineup & Rotation After NBA Draft

The Denver Nuggets have officially crossed off their first major checkpoint of this offseason after moving past the 2026 NBA Draft, where they were able to add a couple of new young talents to the roster in the form of Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins in the second round at picks 35 and 49, respectively.

And now with two new rookies in the mix, it already leaves this Nuggets roster looking a little differently leading into next season––marking now a good time to take a step back and look at how this starting five and depth chart could be shaking out once we arrive at opening night in October.

What the Nuggets' Depth Chart Looks Like After the Draft

Without any major moves made to the Nuggets' roster outside of this week's draft, there aren’t too many changes of note from what last year's rotation looks like, at least in the days ahead of free agency.

In as unpredictable of an offseason as the Nuggets are in, there are many moves that can and will be made before next season gets rolling, especially with how free agency is preparing to go for Denver with guys like Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones.

But assuming the Nuggets can bring them back––considering they have their restricted free agent rights to do so while going over the cap––this is what the current landscape looks like for Denver's roster.

There are a few ins and outs of the roster that still need to be determined regarding how several decisions leading up free agency are set to transpire.

Jonas Valanciunas seems like a pretty clear bet to be off the roster in the coming days to weeks due to the cap flexibility the Nuggets can gain from cutting his non-guaranteed contract worth $10 million. That'll leave Zeke Nnaji as the next man up as Denver's backup center, but there's a chance he could be traded out as well.

Guards like Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. are slated to hit the free agent market in July, with the latter trending towards finding a better contract outside of Denver. Brown has a better chance of returning based on what he's projected to get on the open market.