Tonight was Nikola Jokic’s 78th career game leading BOTH teams in points, rebounds and assists.
That’s the most such games by any player since the 1976 NBA-ABA merger, 10 more than the next closest player (LeBron James - 68).
We've got @TheStatSquatch on today's show!
Must watch episode, starts NOW.
✅ Overview of Denver's cap sheet
✅ What would getting under the tax look like?
✅ What will it take to keep Pwat?
✅ Is a gap year necessary?
https://t.co/bGIHiqUC00
Over the last two years the Nuggets:
Spent 3 second round picks to dump Reggie Jackson (expiring $5M)
Spent 3 second round picks to draft Daron Holmes (non-rotation player)
A role player for Denver wouldn’t make up the difference in this series. But the margins are important.
On February 4, 2026, the Chicago Bulls traded guard Ayo Dosunmu and forward Julian Phillips to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second-round draft picks
This season, the Nuggets had 10 different players shoot 38% or better from three-point range (min. 100 attempts).
No other team in NBA history has had 8+ players do that in the same season.
There have been two different sets of teammates in NBA history to make 220+ threes each on 40% or better shooting in the same season:
Klay Thompson & Steph Curry (six times)
Jamal Murray & Tim Hardaway Jr. (2025-26)
There have been over 1.4 million total 10-game spans by players in NBA history, including playoffs.
In none of them did a player have as many points, rebounds and assists as Nikola Jokić during the @nuggets' current 10-game winning streak (252 points, 145 rebounds, 127 assists).
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are the first teammates in NBA history to put up 1500+ points and 500+ assists in the same season.
Murray (1787 PTS, 501 AST) reached the assist mark tonight to join Jokic (1647 PTS, 640 AST).
Tonight was the 400th time that Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray played in a game together and won (including playoffs).
The 400 wins are the most by any duo in the NBA since they became teammates in the 2016-17 season.
Tonight was the 5th time this season that Tim Hardaway Jr. came off the bench and made 7+ threes, tied for the most such games in a season in NBA history.
Two of the previous three players to do so won the NBA’s 6th Man of the Year award (‘16-17 E. Gordon, ‘24-25 P. Pritchard).
Nikola Jokic in his last three games:
48 REB
39 AST
13 STL
4 BLK
No other NBA player in the last 40 years has reached those numbers in a four-game span - while Jokic did so in three games.
@critiquenik I don’t have it in front of me at the moment but it should be a bit below $6 million for Spencer. I’m not sure we see him reach the starter criteria, though.
With Denver signing Jones to a rest-of-season deal, into their 14th roster spot, the Nuggets should have space to sign a 15th player to a rest-of-season deal anytime between now and the end of the regular season - should they choose to do so - and remain below the tax line.
The Denver Nuggets are converting two-way Spencer Jones to a standard NBA contract for the remainder of the season, sources tell ESPN. Jones will become a restricted free agent in June. He has started 34 of 46 games for the Nuggets, averaging 6 points and 41.4% shooting from 3.
@prmorphine@KeithSmithNBA@NBABlackburn I was just using an example of one route they could take. As Keith pointed out, they can sign two minimums anytime now and be likely under the tax (assuming about $400K in incentives hit)
@Bucketsince88 Yes, getting picks does not trigger any hard cap. I’d say this is unlikely, though, considering teams know Denver doesn’t want to go into the second apron
Denver is unlikely to acquire any players in an outgoing Watson sign-and-trade, as doing so would hard cap them at the second tax apron - a number they are already pushing up against in 2026-27.
The most likely scenarios are Watson leaving for nothing or re-signing.
Peyton Watson could be “gettable” this summer due to Denver’s tax situation, per @kpelton
“Restricted free agency is trickier for a team such as the Lakers that can't afford to wait out the matching period, but Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson -- an L.A.-area native who played at UCLA -- might be gettable via sign-and-trade because of Denver's tax situation.”
(Via https://t.co/SNZXsNfiqP)
@UncleRollie_ Still seems like an unlikely option compared to him walking or re-signing, I’d say. I think teams know Denver isn’t going to go deep into the second apron to re-sign him, so they’d probably call Denver’s bluff
@DanielWinston3@MiroslavCuk They can do it now if they’re also only going to give Jones a minimum deal. If they want to give Jones more via the MLE they’ll need to wait a bit
The Nuggets are $1.8 million below the luxury tax line.
One approach they could take:
Sign Jones to a $1.2 million deal (for 2025-26) now using the MLE, then on March 1 they could sign a bought out player to a minimum deal and stay about $35K under the tax.
Denver Nuggets will convert swingman Spencer Jones from a two-way contract to a standard contract, league sources tell me. The second-year player has had a standout campaign.
@NBABlackburn The prorated minimum decreases by about $13K each day between now and the end of season. There’s a number of ways they could go about adding two players but I think the most likely is giving Spencer some MLE money for a small raise + longer contract and then a minimum buyout guy