The Denver Nuggets have not had the best success when it comes to drafting over the past several years. They hit on guys like Peyton Watson, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, and Trevon Brazile, but there are some obvious misses as well. After two years, it might be time to call DaRon Holmes one of those misses .
The Nuggets have officially declined Holmes' rookie-scale team option for the 2027-28 season worth $5.5 million, meaning the 24-year-old big man will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
There has been plenty of optimism about what Holmes is capable of as a talented power forward/center, but he has not gotten much of an opportunity to prove himself. He missed his entire rookie season after tearing his Achilles in the 2024 NBA Summer League and did not make his on-court debut with the Nuggets until October 2025.
In his first full season, he played just 25 games for Denver, averaging 3.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game, but was more impactful in the G League. With the Grand Rapids Gold, he averaged 20.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, showcasing a wide-ranging skill set, but it never translated to the NBA level.
It is hard to cast away Holmes this early in his career, as he has made just 27 appearances with the Nuggets since being drafted 22nd overall in 2024. Still, nobody can truly blame the Nuggets for moving on.
Oct 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Daron Holmes II (14) controls the ball during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The worst look for the Nuggets in this situation is that they gave up assets to acquire Holmes in 2024. They traded the 28th overall pick (Ryan Dunn) and the 56th overall pick (Kevin McCullar Jr.) from the 2024 draft to move up four spots to select Holmes, but also had to send away a 2026 second-round pick and a 2031 second-round pick. So they gave up Ryan Dunn and three second-round picks to take Holmes, who is on his way to finishing his Nuggets tenure much sooner than expected.
In hindsight, the Nuggets are obviously wishing they had just kept Dunn. He has been a productive, defensive-minded forward for the Phoenix Suns, starting more games (60) than Holmes has even played.
It would've been great to see what Holmes would be up to now if he never got injured, but that obviously set him back. Now, they are not left with many reasons to keep him on the roster past this season, especially if they have to pay him $5.5 million.
So far this season, Holmes has been completely left out of the rotation. He has played just five total minutes in Denver's first six games, with four DNP-CDs in which he did not touch the floor at all. We might see more of Holmes this season if Nikola Jokic or Marvin Bagley III are ever sidelined for any reason, but the Nuggets are obviously hoping things do not come to that.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/nuggets/onsi as DaRon Holmes' Future With Nuggets Has Been Made Crystal Clear .
