Most Important Dates Ahead for Nuggets' 2026 Offseason

A look at the top dates to circle on the calendar for the Denver Nuggets' offseason.

Feb 19, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman and guard Jamal Murray (27) react against the LA Clippers in the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets have been stuck patiently waiting for this year's NBA playoffs to conclude before being able to get their hands dirty in what is expected to be a pivotal offseason to get this roster back to true championship contender status.

Denver still has a little while longer to wait before the NBA Finals come to a close. But as that action unfolds, they'll only be getting closer and closer to some key offseason dates on their calendar that could include some big roster changes.

Here's the biggest dates to look forward to over the next couple of months as the Nuggets' offseason creeps around the corner:

June 23-24: NBA Draft

Jun 23, 2022; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Christian Braun (Kansas) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number twenty-one overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The first big checkpoint for the Nuggets' offseason will arrive at the NBA Draft; one where they'll have a pair of picks at their disposal across the two days of action at pick 26 and 49.

It's not a ton of flexibility for the Nuggets to work with, but it does offer a perfect opportunity for the addition of two young, cheap players to add to the back end of this roster, and potentially develop into more in due time.

June 30: Jalen Pickett's Team Option

Mar 12, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jalen Pickett (24) shoots during warmups before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The Nuggets’ only team option on the books this summer will be for guard Jalen Pickett, who's set to enter his fourth year in the Mile High, in the event that his option is accepted. 

Considering that accepting Pickett's option will give the Nuggets a cheap player on the roster at $2.4 million, it feels pretty likely that Denver will be accepting it in order to fill out their roster with an affordable, potentially productive bench contributor.

June 30: Free Agency Negotiations Begin

Mar 25, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) reacts after a play in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

At 3 PM MT on the last day of June, teams around the league will officially be able to negotiate with either their own free agents, or those around the league looking for a new deal.

For the Nuggets, their biggest priorities will be re-signing Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones. Teams around the NBA will be able to offer them appealing deals with their restricted free agent rights, and give Denver the first chance to match. Seeing how both situations play out will be very interesting.

July 6: Teams Can Officially Sign Free Agents

Dec 25, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones (21) reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

After a week of action in the free agency moratorium, teams can finally put pen to paper on those new contracts signed in the past several days.

Most of the free agency action takes place through that first week in moratorium anyways. There tends to always be a few names who take a little while longer before hashing out an agreement, but expect to see most of the free agency chaos to take place in the first one to two weeks of July.

July 8: Jonas Valanciunas' Contract Guarantees

Apr 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) and center Jonas Valanciunas (17) react in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

One underrated date to keep an eye on in the context of Denver's offseason will be their decision day for Jonas Valanciunas' contract guarantees. The Nuggets can either keep their veteran big man on the roster for $10 million this coming season, or release him to net $8 million in savings.

The Nuggets' financial situation would tell you that a Valanciunas release is more likely than him being retained. But that verdict will become final in just over a month following the opening of free agency negotiations.

July 9-19: Las Vegas Summer League

Jul 13, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Christian Braun (0) dribbles against LA Clippers forward Reggie Perry (38) during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Nuggets will officially be back on the floor in Summer League form for 10 days in Las Vegas from July 9th through 19th.

It'll be the first opportunity that Denver's two new rookies will be on the floor, perhaps with other familiar names like 2024 first-round pick DaRon Holmes, if the team decides to suit him up.

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