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Why Nuggets Waived Lonnie Walker IV and What’s Next for Denver
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- Why Nuggets Waived Lonnie Walker IV and What’s Next for Denver
(Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)
Guard Lonnie Walker IV came to camp hoping to earn his way back into the NBA after most of the past two seasons overseas, but his stay with the Denver Nuggets ended on Monday when the team waived him.
He had officially signed his training camp deal in early September, a little more than a month earlier, and his release leaves Denver with 20 players as every team works down to the 15-man limit before the regular season.
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How the Walker Experiment Ended
Walker first agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal over the summer, but Bennett Durando of the Denver Post later reported that it was only a training camp contract.
"He will compete for a roster spot at camp this fall," Durando wrote, and that report from Durando held up, since the deal never became guaranteed.
Marc Stein noted on Monday that Walker had a non-guaranteed contract in Denver and had just hired agent Misko Raznatovic, who is expected to try to find him a job abroad.
With none of the money guaranteed, the Nuggets carry no dead money from the move.
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Walker did not get much of a chance in the preseason to change minds, as he averaged 2.0 points in 8.6 minutes across two appearances and then sat out all of Sunday's 133-128 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Why Denver Moved On
Denver has not given a public reason, so reporters offer the best clues.
Denver already has talent on two-way deals, including guard Ryan Nembhard and forward Cam Whitmore, as a main reason the team felt comfortable letting Walker go, while Denver is the only team in the second apron and that Walker's path to the final roster was slim from the start.
Whitmore scored 14 points in 15 minutes against Utah, and head coach David Adelman has praised his attitude and skill since camp opened, so it is hard to keep a veteran on a camp deal around once a younger player on a cheaper contract starts doing the same job.
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Guard DeMar DeRozan also changed the look of the bench when he joined in the offseason, and he now gives the second unit the scoring punch off the bench that Denver once hoped Walker could bring.
What Comes Next for Both Sides
Walker's most likely path is a return to Europe, where he averaged 15.2 points for Maccabi Tel Aviv last season and helped the club win the Israeli league title, so he should have options there.
The last time he played in the NBA was 2024-25, when he averaged 12.4 points in 20 games with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Denver's attention now turns to the backup guard spots and the final roster cuts.
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Adelman has said the back end of the rotation is wide open, and the battle for those minutes gets one more look on Wednesday when the Nuggets visit the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome.
Denver then closes out the preseason against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, and I expect Whitmore and Nembhard to get long runs in both games now that one fewer guard is in the mix.
