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Q. Guarding Valanciunas in practice, what did you learn from him? DaRon Holmes: Man, everything. He's such a great vet. Him, Jokic, he would always push me to do extra. Get in the weight room even more, do this extra, be tough, like all those things. And it really helped me to where I am now. So, I'm very grateful for Val. Q. What do you want to improve in your sophomore season? Holmes: I would say now it's more about, I think I know more of the plays and I'm a lot more comfortable with them now. It's just learning the tendencies of my teammates a little bit better. So, understanding what Jamal likes, what Jokic likes, where he likes to pass the ball.
There are several restricted free agents the Lakers have already done their due diligence on, sources familiar with the team's thinking told ESPN. Two of them, Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons and Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz, would satisfy Doncic's directive to secure an A-list center. Two others, Peyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets and Tari Eason of the Rockets, are the type of 3-and-D archetypes who any team needs in order to succeed in the modern NBA.
According to unofficial information from the USA that has crossed the Atlantic to Meridian Sports, Denver is impatiently waiting for 12:01 on the quartz clock on June 30 (Eastern American time) to start hunting Bogdan Bogdanovic!
Bogdan Bogdanovic stands at the center of a looming free agency chase by the Denver Nuggets, as reported by Serbian outlet Meridian Sport’s Djordje Matic on Thursday. The Nuggets are eagerly anticipating the June 30 opening of the free-agent market to bolster their championship ambitions ahead of the 2026–27 NBA Regular Season. The front office is prioritizing the Serbian guard due to his proven synergy with fellow countryman and superstar Nikola Jokic. They recognize that their on-court chemistry, built during successful runs with the Serbian senior national team, could significantly elevate the performance of the entire roster, as noted by Matic.
Jonas Valanciunas gave an update on his future with the Denver Nuggets while speaking to the media during his annual basketball camp. Valanciunas said it will come down to Denver's decision on whether they want to keep him on the roster for next season, adding that everything should become clear around the NBA Draft, which will take place next week. "They have to decide for themselves what direction the team will take and what they want to do. The season was not what we expected because we definitely did not meet expectations. I think they have decisions to make. Everything should become clear around the NBA Draft [June 24-25]. There is not much time left," Valanciunas said.
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I'm told Aaron Gordon, who turns 31 in September, is the Denver veteran drawing the strongest external trade interest. Next season will be the first on a three-year, $103.6 million contract extension that Gordon secured after helping Nikola Jokić and Co. win the first championship in the team's NBA history in 2022-23.
Remember LeBron James' "Decision" back in 2010? That was Rose, James' agent at the time, and Worldwide Wes. Carmelo Anthony's trade from the Denver Nuggets to the Knicks in 2011? Leon and Wes. Dolan had a good relationship with both men during Anthony's seven seasons in New York and admired the loyalty they seemed to have with clients. Dolan is a lot of things. Irascible. Unpredictable. Meddlesome. But he's also loyal. So when he went to replace Jackson in 2019, he kept coming back to the idea of Rose and Wesley -- two men he knew could handle the pressure cooker of New York and identify the type of players who could thrive in that environment, too. But maybe even more importantly, he trusted them to do it and largely allowed them to operate without interference. Those who know Dolan best say he'd simply learned from his past that ownership involvement isn't always productive. Others suggest his focus was split between the Knicks and building the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder open as co-favorites to win the 2027 NBA Finals at +250, followed by the Boston Celtics at +550. The New York Knicks, despite winning the championship on Saturday, have the fourth best odds at +700. The next block of teams have significantly longer odds beginning with the Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets at +2800, and the Minnesota Timbewolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at +3000.
The Lithuanian national team has revealed its shortened 15-player roster for the July World Cup qualifying window, with three NBA players making the list. The squad includes Matas Buzelis, Jonas Valanciunas, and Kasparas Jakucionis, giving Lithuania a strong NBA presence heading into the summer window. However, one major name is missing from the candidate list. Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis was not included in the 30-man roster.
Spencer Jones on Junior Bridgeman as a role model: "Junior Bridgeman was a big one. He used to play for the Milwaukee Bucks back in 80s, and off the court just built a huge and various industries. One being a lot of franchises, and made several hundreds of millions of dollars, and obviously compounded on what these days wouldn't have been that much money made in the NBA what he was making. It's kind of amazing what he was able to do."
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The Nuggets are moving on from two broadcasters after multiple decades together. Altitude Sports has decided not to renew contracts with either Scott Hastings or Chris Marlowe as part of a talent shakeup. Marlowe has spent the last 22 years working as the team’s regional TV play-by-play announcer.
Nick Van Exel: Would you want to guard a [expletive] who can score every time in a post or would you want to guard a [expletive] who is going to sometime make a three-point shot on the perimeter? Who you going to want to guard? Zach Randolph: I'm want to guard the three-point shooter. Van Exel: Who you going to want to guard? Tony Allen: I'm going want to guard the three-point shooter. Van Exel: There it is. It's literally that simple. Cuz think about this. You ain't got a double the Joker. Shaq a they don't have to leave off of nobody if Shaq is guarding the Joker. All he got to do is lay contest. Sometimes he's gonna go in, sometimes it's not. But on that other end, Joker can't f*ck with Shaq and Joker is cold. Joker is cold. Don’t y'all get it twisted, Joker is cold. But Joker cannot guard Shaq in the post. Like it's that simple. Allen: You saying two fouls early fourth quarter. That's how it's going. Van Exel: It's that simple. You gonna have to double team and Shaq can do this to Joker. Is Joker going to make 100 percent of the threes? Allen: Well, but if he get hot, Van Exel: OK but in a seven-game series when I'm bam, bam, bam. Allen: Yeah. wear and tear. Van Exel: What's going to happen? Allen: Wear and tear. Yeah, you about that. Van Exel: Z-Bo, you done elbowed a bunch of [expletive] with your right elbow over the shoulder. What's going to happen? Randolph: They gonna give in. Van Exel: That's what I'm saying. So, how many of them threes he gonna be making? Okay. Just say if y'all win two games, game six, how what that jumper going to be looking like? Allen: Going to be a little flat. Going to be a little flat. Going to be a little flat, man. Going to be a little flat. Van Exel: Stop playing! But Joker is cold, but I just got to take Shaq cuz you got to double team the big dog. (…) When people say like I love Draymond Green. Draymond is somebody who people love to hate. You know what I'm saying? If he’s on your team, you love him, right? If you against him, you hate him. Great defender. Draymond, you can't guard Shaq. Draymond couldn't guard Shaq. Come on.
Vic Lombardi: Such a sad day for the @AltitudeTV family. Chris Dempsey is one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever met. He’s a fellow native. I’m gonna miss our thoughtful conversations about Denver sports. Scott Hastings, often blunt but always fair, you carry more than a quarter-century of @nuggets lore. Thanks for teaching all of us the game. Will never forget how emotional you got during the final seconds of Game Five in ‘23. Chris Marlowe — you are a mentor and a friend. Many of us consider you THE VOICE of Nuggets basketball. You will always be the voice. And we will truly miss that voice.
Changes are coming to the local Nuggets broadcast. Longtime Altitude TV play-by-play announcer Chris Marlowe and color analyst Scott Hastings will no longer call Nuggets games next season as Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, the parent company that owns the Nuggets, Avalanche and Altitude, plans to shake up its talent, four sources familiar with the decision told The Denver Post. Marlowe has been calling Nuggets games for Altitude since team owner Stan Kroenke launched the regional sports network in 2004. An Olympic gold medalist as part of the 1984 U.S. men’s volleyball team, he has also been the lead play-by-play guy for beach volleyball at seven Olympics, most recently for NBC in 2024. He was named Colorado Sportscaster of the Year in 2023.