Nuggets' bizarre DeMar DeRozan signing plays right into the Spurs' hands

Within the last 48 hours, I wrote about how surprising it was to see former Spurs forward DeMar DeRozan without a job. In the same timeframe, I talked about the Nuggets not adding anyone of note this offseason. Today, NBA Senior Insider Chris Haynes reports that DeRozan will be signing a one-year deal with Denver.

Obviously, the basketball gods are playing a cruel joke on someone, but it's not on me. It's on Nuggets fans. This is not what I meant in regard to my previous criticism of Nikola Jokic's franchise. It's more of a desperate, slam-a-thing-against-the-wall tactic, and those don't usually go too well.

It's Russell Westbrook with the Lakers or Bradley Beal in Phoenix—it's not what the team needed and won't move the needle very much in games that matter. In fact, it might even hurt them in certain matchups. Like the ones against the Spurs.

Denver just made its biggest weakness even more obvious

For a team that should know its biggest weakness, they're sure not acting like it. San Antonio faced this team four times last season. They went 1-3 against the Nuggets but scored over 130 points in the first three meetings, despite missing Victor Wembanyama in two of them.

Yeah, the Spurs have a deep and talented roster, but the truth of the matter is Denver's defense was weak. They ranked 21st in defensive efficiency during the season, and on paper, they got considerably worse. Replacing Peyton Watson with DeRozan isn't an upgrade in 2026.

Can you even imagine the Nuggets rolling out a Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, DeRozan, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic lineup? Gordon would be the only respectable defender in the group. No perimeter defense to speak of, and no rim protection. They'd be barbecued chicken for the Spurs.

DeMar needed to go to a place like Boston. That's a place with a strong defensive culture in place already. They'll help cover up the six-time All-Star's weaknesses on that end. But on offense, they put an emphasis on shooting threes. A little too much emphasis. Adding DeRozan's midrange game to their toolbox would be an ideal fit.

It works on both ends there.

DeRozan could create a new problem for Denver's offense

In Denver, the Joker/Jamal Murray pick-and-roll is king. Everyone else gets there in the flow of an offense that operates better with space, and DeRozan has never been a reliable outside shooter. Now, Jokic is an offensive genius, so maybe they'll find a way to work well together, but it's certainly not a natural fit.

If you don't have proper spacing against the Spurs, they're going to suffocate your offense. The personnel is too good. San Antonio's athleticism and active hands will completely stomp the consistency out of an offense.

The Nuggets' latest acquisition allows them to claim to their fans that they did something. But they didn't do anything to change the landscape in the Western Conference. For Spurs fans surveying the conference for potential threats. The Nuggets are proving they're less of one than we originally thought. That's all that matters.

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