Nuggets predicted to pass on LeBron James, sign $73M ex-Spurs 6-time All-Star, 17-year veteran

The LeBron James sweepstakes remain wide open, as it has been a week since he informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he plans to take his talents elsewhere. Several teams have reportedly reached out to James' agent, Rich Paul, to express interest.

While some teams are viewed as favorites, others remain intriguing dark-horse candidates. Among those teams are the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

“The Nuggets and Timberwolves are viewed as dark horse contenders in the LeBron James free agency sweepstakes. LeBron would arguably complete both teams and put them over the top in a loaded Western Conference,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.

There is no guarantee James will ultimately sign with Denver. If the Nuggets miss out on the four-time NBA champion, they could pivot to recently waived veteran DeMar DeRozan.

“The Denver Nuggets have a severe lack of dribbling outside of Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. DeRozan doesn't exactly fit their off-ball motion-heavy offense around Jokić, but he could keep the bench offense afloat, and Denver has played elite offense without maxing out 3-point volume in the past, so it is about as well-equipped as any team could be to deal with DeRozan's less-than-ideal shot selection,” CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn.

The Sacramento Kings decided to waive DeRozan after determining they would not be able to find a trade partner for the veteran forward.

“The Sacramento Kings have waived DeMar DeRozan, the team announced Monday, making the six-time All-Star one of the top free agents on the market. DeRozan had a partial guarantee on his contract for next season, but he and Sacramento worked on his release to allow him to find a new home. Multiple contenders are expected to have interest in the veteran guard,” ESPN wrote.

Signing DeRozan would give the Nuggets an experienced veteran capable of providing another reliable scoring option. Whether he comes off the bench or starts, he would add valuable depth and postseason experience to Denver's roster as he continues chasing another opportunity to compete for a championship.

DeRozan was on a $73 million contract with the Kings before being waived. If the Nuggets are unable to land James, the six-time All-Star could emerge as one of their top fallback options.

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