Mile High Tape · Morning

Denver Adds Three Bodies, Not Answers, to a Crowded Frontcourt

Three additions on September 25 filled out Denver's camp roster without touching the questions that actually decide the season.

By the Nuggets Nightly Desk · Saturday, September 26

The Nuggets added Coleman Hawkins, Dane Goodwin and Emanuel Miller on September 25, a single-day batch of camp depth. None of it moves the needle on the two things still open above them: Aaron Gordon's health and how far $221.1 million in payroll can stretch.

Nuggets Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Three names in one day

Coleman Hawkins, Dane Goodwin and Emanuel Miller all joined the Nuggets on September 25. Whatever they add, it won't be measured against the group that's supposed to define this team's identity — Jokic, Murray, Cameron Johnson and the returning pieces already logged real minutes together last season. These are camp bodies, arriving days before Denver opens its preseason slate.

The math above them

Payroll sits at $221.1 million, over the $200.4 million luxury-tax line and over the first apron. Denver has already committed protected first-round picks to Oklahoma City in 2028 and 2029, plus a 2027 first of its own that's protected. That's the trade-off for keeping this core together: the roster gets filled from the bottom because the top can't be moved.

Gordon's status, still open

Aaron Gordon's health swung within a single day last week and hasn't been clarified since. Nothing in the frontcourt picture — Whitmore, Hawkins, Miller and the rest — settles that question. It's the one variable that actually touches the group that matters, and it's the one still unresolved.

What's on the schedule

Denver opens its preseason October 4 against the Jazz, then plays them again October 6, hosts the Bulls October 11 on ESPN, and visits the Clippers October 14. The regular-season opener is set for October 22 at Oklahoma City, also on ESPN — the first real look at whether last season's 5.2 net rating holds against the team that ended Denver's playoff run.

Who did the Nuggets sign on September 25, 2026?

Denver added Coleman Hawkins, Dane Goodwin and Emanuel Miller in a single day of roster moves.

When do the Nuggets play their first preseason game?

Denver opens the preseason on October 4 at home against the Jazz, with a rematch in Utah on October 6.

By the Nuggets Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.