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Just days after a new NBA champion was crowned, the first event of the offseason, the 2025 NBA Draft, is set to take place.
It's true what they say.
The NBA never sleeps.
The association is sticking with its re-worked draft process, which is now a two-day event held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The first round occurs on June 25th at 6 p.m. MT, with coverage on ABC and ESPN, and the second round occurs on June 26th at 6 p.m. MT, with coverage on just ESPN.
As of now, the Nuggets do not have any draft picks in either round due to previous trades, but that can obviously change. Some of the biggest NBA insiders have predicted that this could be one of the craziest offseasons in league history. Denver could certainly get involved on Draft Night should other teams look to improve their rosters.
If no deals come to fruition, or if the Nuggets choose to bypass the draft process altogether, they can still sign players as undrafted free agents. That's how many teams fill their three allotted two-way contract slots.
Heading into the draft, a few things come to mind when looking at potential roster needs.
You can learn a lot by watching the last teams standing. Take the Indiana Pacers, for example.
Indiana has been lauded for its depth, and deservedly so. They were able to deploy a 10-man rotation through four rounds of the postseason and were never burned for it. Typically, rotations shrink the further you advance, but the Pacers were an exception to that rule. The title-winning Oklahoma City Thunder could certainly say the same.
One thing that sticks out about Indiana, in particular, is its abundance of ball-handling.
Yes, the Pacers boast one of the best point guards in the NBA, Tyrese Haliburton, but their ball-handling depth doesn't end there. Starting shooting guard, Andrew Nembhard, is a more-than-capable ball-handler with some serious off-the-dribble juice (and underrated passing chops). Then, off the bench, T.J. McConnell has a pretty strong case for being the best backup point guard in the league. He set a record for the most points, assists, rebounds, and steals ever recorded by a bench player in an NBA Finals.
That's something the Nuggets could look to replicate: multiple ball-handlers. Lineups featuring Denver's two point guards, Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray, were successful in both the 2024-25 regular season and the 2025 postseason. Jalen Pickett had some nice moments as a second-year floor general, as well. Adding another point guard to the mix would only accentuate Denver's democratic offense.
Another potential position of need is a backup center.
DeAndre Jordan is set to be a free agent in the summer. There's no indication as to whether he's leaving or staying, but the organization must prepare for any and all situations. Perhaps the Nuggets use the draft as a safeguard for that decision.
Denver already has a nice young core of big men. DaRon Holmes II was selected in the first round of last year's draft, and 24-year-old Zeke Nnaji has been with the team since the 2020-21 season. A third young big man would only increase Denver's optionality when fielding lineups.
Altogether, there's a lot to tune in for as a Nuggets fan during the two-day draft extravaganza.