Denver Can't Buy a Defense. Its Starting Five Has to Become One
Denver has no money or picks left to buy defensive help, so the fix has to come from five players who barely shared the floor last season.
Denver had the league's best offense last season and a defense that ranked 21st, and Oklahoma City is the team that keeps exposing the gap. With no cap room and no picks to trade, the only real answer is Denver's starting five staying healthy long enough to learn to defend together.
What is the question?
Last season Denver went 54-28 with the league's No. 1 offense, a 121.2 offensive rating, and the No. 21 defense, a 116.0 defensive rating. That added up to a 5.2 net rating, seventh in the league. Oklahoma City went 64-18 and allowed 106.5. The question for 2026-27 is whether Denver can close that defensive gap without becoming a different team. The first answer comes Thursday, in the opener at Oklahoma City.
The case for no
Denver can't trade or sign its way out of this. The payroll is above the first apron and below the $221.7 million second apron, and five deals take up most of it: Jokic at $59.0 million, Murray at $50.1 million, Aaron Gordon at $33.7 million, Cameron Johnson at $23.1 million and Christian Braun at $21.6 million. The 2028, 2029 and 2030 first-rounders are protected and owed to Oklahoma City. The 2027 second-rounder belongs to Utah. The one addition, DeMar DeRozan, is 37 and on a one-year, $3.9 million deal. He averaged 18.4 points last season, and none of that changes the defensive math. Julian Strawther is out with a knee sprain and is projected back around November 29.
The case for yes
The fix may already be on the roster, just not on the floor together. Gordon played 36 games last season, Braun 44 and Johnson 54. When the five of Gordon, Jokic, Murray, Johnson and Braun did play together, they were +13.5 per 100 possessions, a small sample but the right signal. Good team defense depends on rotations and trust: knowing who helps, who recovers and who takes the switch. Players learn that only by sharing minutes, and this group has not had many. Nugg Love has written that Adelman's modest top-six goal puts playoff health in focus. It has also argued that the bench defense has been an early surprise.
The answer
Yes, but the measure is games played, not transactions. Denver doesn't need a new stopper as much as it needs a full season of its starting five. The test is whether Gordon and Braun stay available, so the defense gets the same continuity the offense already has. Spencer Jones is day-to-day and projected back for Thursday. Denver comes in on five days of rest, playing a Thunder team that is already 1-0. One night in Oklahoma City settles nothing, but it will show whether these five can make the gap smaller.
Why can't the Nuggets trade for defensive help this season?
Denver's payroll is above the first apron, which limits its options, and its 2028 through 2030 first-round picks are protected and owed to Oklahoma City. With no cap room and little draft capital to offer, any improvement has to come from the current roster.
When is Julian Strawther expected back for the Nuggets?
Strawther is out with a left knee sprain that was reported to cost him at least six weeks. He is projected to return around November 29.
