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Bennett Durando: The Nuggets are declining Jalen Pickett’s team option, league sources tell @DenverPost. Drafted 32nd overall in 2023, Pickett played in 126 games for Denver including 50 last season.
The Nuggets are declining Jalen Pickett’s fourth-year team option for the 2026-27 season, releasing him from his contract, league sources told The Denver Post.
His $2.41 million salary next season would’ve offered the Nuggets a sliver of cap relief, but they chose instead to move on from the former Penn State star. Monday was the deadline to make a decision on his option.
Vinny Benedetto: Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson remain out for tomorrow's game in Oklahoma City. Jamal Murray (illness), Jalen Pickett (right knee soreness) and Spencer Jones (right shoulder strain) are questionable. Julian Strawther is probable.
Vinny Benedetto: Jamal Murray is questionable for tomorrow’s game at Golden State with right hamstring tightness. Jalen Pickett is out with right knee soreness. Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon remain out. No Steph Curry or Jimmy Butler for the Warriors - Kristaps Porzingis is probable.
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There's also Phoenix Suns' Jalen Green (who has barely played this season due to injury, but averaged 20.9 points over the past three seasons), Minnesota Timberwolves' Jaylen Clark, Denver Nuggets' Jalen Pickett and Brooklyn Nets' Jalen Wilson. That's 14 players, with a balanced mix of stars and role players; guards, wings and bigs; and scorers, shooters, rebounders and defenders. In other words, a team made up of Jalens could win plenty of games. The numbers agree. According to the projection system run by ESPN's Kevin Pelton, if these players all joined forces, Team Jalen would project for the best offense in the league and a 55-27 record.
It’s not uncommon for several players from the same team to show up together. But the arrival of more than a dozen Nuggets was an unusually vast assembly. “My understanding (at first) was that it was going to be four or five of us,” Christian Braun said. “It was just the players, man,” Wallace said. “The players took matters into their own hands.” They stayed for half a week of runs, which lasted about 90 minutes to two hours each day. Other pros came and went. The UCLA men’s basketball team showed up one day. Aaron Gordon made room in his schedule despite having just finished a tour through Asia for his shoe deal. “AG was balling, definitely showing a lot of iso, step-back 3s and stuff like that,” two-way wing Spencer Jones said. “Jamal was playing really well. P-Wat was dunking all over the place.” “We haven't done stuff like that since I've been here,” third-year guard Jalen Pickett told The Post. “... Just for Jamal to send out a text, or some of the vets to say they were going to come out and play, I thought that was cool.”
And at the eye of the storm, the heart of this conflict that led to Denver firing its head coach and general manager in the span of a few minutes, was a reserve guard who’s played 76 games in his NBA career. “To be mentioned in these things, it’s kinda crazy,” second-year point guard Jalen Pickett told The Denver Post on Friday after he was asked if it was strange to see his name explode amid sweeping change. “But growing up, you always want to be on this stage. So you gotta just accept everything that comes with it, at this point.”
In a decisive win over Sacramento, where it looked like the Nuggets were finally connected and playing for each other, Westbrook's 16:45 minutes of game time were officially the least amount he's played since early December. It is also a far cry from his season-long per-game average of 28. Rather than let the older Westbrook play his way through chaotic extended stints — which has killed Denver on the court lately — Adelman wasted no time pulling the plug on the veteran point guard the moment he started playing out of control in both of his bench stints. This allowed second-year point guard Jalen Pickett (18 points, 5-of-7 from 3-point land) to flourish in an expanded role in a much-needed victory.
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Vinny Benedetto: Nuggets win it 124-116. Got a little dicey late, but the Nuggets win a massive one. Christian Braun leads Denver with 25 points. Michael Porter and Aaron Gordon score 21 apiece. Nikola Jokic with 20-12-11 and 4 steals. Jalen Pickett with 18 points on 5-7 3PT. Zach LaVine 27 and 11 assists for the Kings.
Jalen Pickett is a good example of this, according to league sources. Booth was dismayed that Malone went with Russell Westbrook over Pickett down the stretch of multiple games last week. On a macro level, Booth and Malone disagreed on several things.
Vinny Benedetto: Nikola Jokic is once again listed as questionable for Friday's game against Dallas for personal reasons. Vlatko Cancar (left knee sprain) and Aaron Gordon (right calf strain) are also unavailable. Jalen Pickett and Spencer Jones on in the G League.
Grand Rapids Gold: The @nbagleague has announced that Jalen Pickett has been named the G League Player of the Week for games played Nov. 8 through Nov. 17. Pickett currently averages a double-double with 26.5 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 9.0 APG. He has recorded a double-double in three of his first four games this season.
