Nuggets Add Frontcourt Depth
Denver Nuggets Sign Marvin Bagley III to One-Year Deal, Bolstering Frontcourt Depth
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Key Points
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Bagley logged 60 games (12 starts) last season across the Wizards and Mavericks, averaging 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in about 20 minutes per game while shooting 61.8% from the floor.
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Defensive note: Bagley has been viewed as a high-variance defender, with struggles on ball-screen defense, but his elite athleticism can fuel lobs and putbacks and could enable specific Denver lineups featuring him alongside Aaron Gordon.
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He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by Sacramento, a selection famously one spot ahead of Luka Dončić, a fact highlighted as part of his draft pedigree.
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The one-year deal with Denver is expected to be in the taxpayer midlevel range, around $6 million for the season.
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Bagley showed some floor-spacing potential in recent seasons, including 46.2% shooting from three on 24-of-52 attempts, alongside strong two-point efficiency (64.1%) and solid free-throw shooting (66.0%).
Marvin Bagley III has agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets, ESPN reported late July 1, giving the former No. 2 overall pick his sixth NBA team. The contract is worth roughly $6 million, drawn from the taxpayer midlevel exception, and covers the 2026-27 season.
The signing fills a real gap. Denver lost Jonas Valančiūnas, who is expected to be waived before a July 8 guarantee date so he can join Lithuania's Zalgiris Kaunas, according to Hoops Rumors. Bagley steps in as the primary backup big behind Nikola Jokić.
Bagley Arrives on the Back of a Bounce-Back Season
Bagley played 60 games last season split between the Washington Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 20 minutes per game, per Basketball Reference. He shot 61.8% from the floor overall — including 64.1% on two-point attempts.
His time in Dallas started with a bang. In his Mavericks debut on February 26, Bagley pulled down 8 offensive rebounds — a franchise record for a debut, according to Sports Illustrated. He later scored a season-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 27.
How the Anthony Davis Trade Sent Bagley to Dallas
Bagley landed in Dallas through one of the biggest trades of the season. On February 4, the Mavericks sent 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis to Washington in a massive eight-player deal that also included Khris Middleton and multiple first-round picks, per ESPN. Bagley was part of the package heading to Dallas.
He was seen as a salary inclusion in the deal — a "salary dump" in NBA terms, meaning a player attached mainly to make the trade work financially. But he outperformed that label. Sports Illustrated called him a "sleeper pickup" who helped fix Dallas's frontcourt shooting problems.
Three-Point Shooting Could Unlock Denver Lineups
The most surprising part of Bagley's game last season was his range. He shot 46.2% from three on 52 attempts, per Hoops Rumors. That is a small sample, but it matters a lot for Denver's offense. It means Bagley can play alongside Aaron Gordon without clogging the paint around Jokić.
His athleticism adds another wrinkle. He is a strong lob target, and his elite offensive rebounding gives Denver extra second-chance points off the bench. His overall efficiency rated at a 20.2 Player Efficiency Rating and a 64.7% true shooting percentage, according to Hoops Rumors.
Still Chasing the Ghost of the 2018 Draft Slot
Bagley was the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, selected by Sacramento one spot ahead of Luka Dončić. That fact still follows him. NBC Sports noted he has "not lived up to the expectations" tied to that selection. At 27, he has yet to stick as a starter on a contending team.
Still, Denver is not asking him to be a star. The Nuggets need depth in the frontcourt, especially after Jokić missed time with a hyperextended knee in January and Aaron Gordon has played just 87 regular-season games over the last two years. Bagley is a proven rotation piece — and at $6 million, he is a low-risk bet, according to Pro Football Network.
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