All Future Nuggets Draft Picks & Protections in 2026, 2027 & Beyond

A full look at what the Nuggets' future draft capital looks like for this summer and onwards.

Feb 15, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets floor staff celebrates the win over the Dallas Mavericks at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets' 2025-26 season is over, which means there's already a top focus placed on what's ahead this offseason, and their upcoming draft later next month.

Compared to some other loaded teams around the league, the Nuggets don't quite have the steep draft capital to stack up for either this summer or in further offseasons.

But at least as it relates to this draft, they'll have a couple of picks at their disposal to use on a fresh injection of young talent.

Let's look at what the Nuggets' draft landscape is looking like across the next seven years:

Incoming Draft Picks

2026 1st Rd. (own, No. 26)

2026 2nd Rd. (via ATL, No. 49)

2028 1st Rd. (own)

2030 1st Rd. (own)

2031 1st Rd. (own)

Outgoing Draft Picks

2026 2nd Rd. (own, with CHI, No. 56)

2027 1st Rd. (own, with OKC, top-5 prot.)

2027 2nd Rd (own, with UTA)

2028 2nd Rd (own, with WAS, top-33 prot.)

2029 1st Rd. (own, with OKC, top-5 prot.)

2029 2nd Rd. (own, with CHA)

2030 2nd Rd. (own, with OKC)

2032 1st Rd. (own, with BKN)

2031 2nd Rd. (own, with CHI)

2032 2nd Rd. (own, with BKN)

What to Make of the Nuggets' Picks

It doesn't take much to notice the sheer lack of flexibility the Nuggets have in terms of draft capital throughout the foreseeable future.

Denver has four first-round picks across the next seven years, but has zero of them that are tradeable. In terms of second-rounders, their flexibility is even worse, considering their only selection on day two of the draft for the next seven years lies ahead for this summer.

Mar 18, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

A lot of the restrictions the Nuggets have on their draft capital is due to a couple of trades with the OKC Thunder across the past several years.

Two trades to acquire the rights to Peyton Watson, along with the bundle of Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther, and Hunter Tyson, inevitably give the Thunder the protected rights to their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks.

Unless the Nuggets fall within the first five selections in either 2027 or 2029, they'll be losing those picks to OKC. But that's not all when it comes to their outgoing first-rounders.

The Nuggets will also have to deal with the reprocussions of trading their 2032 first round pick from earlier this summer to the Brooklyn Nets in the deal to swap Cameron Johnson and Michael Porter Jr.

Denver's second-round pick in 2032 will also be going to Brooklyn as a result of their trade deadline move in February to send Hunter Tyson out in a salary dump move.

Inevitably, it makes this year's draft and the two picks possessed at 26 and 49 even more important for the Nuggets to get right.

Their pair of picks mark be a rare opportunity to find another dose of young talent to add to this roster that desperately needs athleticism and defensive versatility, and they could be in a prime spot on the board to find that in the first round.

But after this year's draft, barring any big trades to shake up their pool of future assets, the Nuggets will have to get creative in their team-building methods, considering the well is pretty dried up of draft capital.

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