David Adelman Gives Update on Nuggets' Buyout Plans, Spencer Jones

The clock is winding down for the Denver Nuggets to meet their looming Thursday deadline of having a minimum of 14 players signed to their traditional roster; a date that's been creeping up since their trade deadline deal to ship out Hunter Tyson to the Brooklyn Nets.

Before February 19th, the Nuggets must sign at least one player on their roster via a traditional contract to fulfill the league requirement. Right now, Denver has 13 players signed with three signed on two-way deals. The roster addition be done by either signing a name off the buyout market––which could very well be done–– or Denver could sign one of their two-way signees to an NBA deal.

That NBA elevation has long been rumored for second-year forward Spencer Jones since he's run out of NBA eligibility on his two-way contract after being an impact player in the Nuggets' rotation. But just hours out from the deadline, that new deal has yet to officially be hashed out.

However, Nuggets head coach David Adelman gave an update regarding the process of signing Jones to a new deal in his first media availability following the All-Star break, emphasizing he would have a clearer picture of that once Denver lands in Los Angeles for their road trip vs. the Clippers.

"It's a conversation we're going to have when we land in LA. A lot of moving pieces there." Adelman said after the Nuggets' practice.

"Obviously, what Spencer's done for us this year has been beyond a small impact. The guy's started a million games for us. He's guarding some of the players in the league. He's a big part of what we've done, so we're trying to get that done in the sense of what's fair up on both sides. Those conversations will be had in private."

Jan 30, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Adelman also kept the door open for the buyout market to be a route to fill their roster requirement, noting that there have been a few names up for grabs that they've kept an eye on.

"And yes, we've been looking at names to possibly help us get through this time; on the buyout market, possible two-ways, Ben [Tenzer] and John [Wallace] are hard at work at that, and we'll sit down, talk about it here a couple hours."

Who Will the Nuggets Sign Before Their Deadline?

The obvious solution for the Nuggets to solve their ongoing roster situation would be signing Jones to a real NBA contract from his current two-way deal. He's a nightly rotation piece when healthy, is having a career year, and is more than deserving of getting an opportunity to play for the rest of the season. Denver, likewise, would like to have him onboard.

It's a process to sign Jones that's been in the works for the past few weeks now. Jones can't play another regular season game under his two-way contract having used up all of his NBA eligibility of 50 games, and he's a rotational piece that the Nuggets can't go without deeper in the year and into the playoffs.

But as Denver desperately tries to avoid the luxury tax while giving Jones his deserved raise, combined with the All-Star break adding further delay, the signing has taken longer than expected, thus putting the Nuggets in their current dilemma.

But now, the Nuggets front office has a clear deadline staring them in the face to get at least one more player on the roster before the end of the week. Whether that ends up as Jones, another two-way guy, or a veteran from the buyout market, that decision is right around the corner.