The Denver Nuggets are now 4-3 and while formidable, they look far from a world-beater. With there being more parity in the NBA these days, that’s not necessarily unexpected. However, the fact that they won a championship in 2023 has many feeling like they should be better than they currently are.
If they would’ve traded for Paul George instead of Russell Westbrook, maybe they would look as dominant as expected. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that anybody will ever know what that would’ve looked like. That being said, the Nuggets still have opportunities to fortify their roster, be it through a trade, free agency, or internal development.
For now, the latter option is what Denver has chosen. Hoping for jumps from Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, and perhaps even Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets have placed their faith in the work they’ve already done. Nonetheless, there’s at least one player who Denver is considering signing ahead of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
While the Boston Celtics are still thinking about signing Lonnie Walker IV “later this season depending on what sort of roster flexibility can be manufactured… Denver is another team to watch as the season unfolds when it comes to Walker’s possible NBA return,” per The Stein Line’s Marc Stein.
The Milwaukee Bucks are another team that’s been linked to Walker.
The 25-year-old currently plays for EuroLeague’s Zalgiris Kaunas after being released by the Celtics after the preseason. “Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel-Aviv are among the other EuroLeague clubs that pursued Walker,” according to Stein. “… Zalgiris’ willingness to consent to a (NBA buyout) clause… made it an irresistible alternative.”
Nuggets Interested In Signing Standout Playoff Performer Lonnie Walker IV
The Nuggets’ interest in Walker inspires images of his performance in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Then with the Los Angeles Lakers, Walker had one of the more intriguing storylines.
In the first round, Walker played sparingly against the Memphis Grizzlies, tallying just 15 total minutes after six games. However, he stepped up in Game 6, scoring eight points in nine minutes while going 2-5 from deep.
In the semifinals, Walker was in the rotation regularly, sans Game 1. It was then, while playing against the Golden State Warriors, that his reputation got a boost. He was scoring efficiently and playing hard-nosed defense, which were two of his problem areas when he was with the San Antonio Spurs. In Game 4, he scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to help Los Angeles take a commanding 3-1 lead.
Thread: Lonnie Walker G4 Defense
The 15pt fourth quarter is getting all the buzz, but Walker was absolutely stifling on the defensive end vs GS
Warriors running Split
LW gets skinny to fight through the screen/deter a Curry 3, rotates to GP and again to Curry to force a miss pic.twitter.com/BTVdX1kXuu
— LAbound (@LAbound2) May 9, 2023
By the time the Western Conference Finals began, Walker was walking on air. He couldn’t find the court much with Austin Reaves (39.6/g), Rui Hachimura (33.5/g), Dennis Schroder (31.2/g), D’Angelo Russell (23.5/g) taking up the lion’s share of minutes. However, he had a couple of pretty solid performances. In Game 1 and Game 3, Walker posted 15 points on 4-8 shooting from three combined.
For a championship-contender such as Denver, a player who does well under the brightest lights is the one you want.
