The Nuggets have reached out to LeBron James to express interest in the 21-time All-NBA forward in free agency, a league source outside of the Nuggets told The Denver Post.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that James will join a new team this offseason, ending an eight-year stint with the Lakers highlighted by a championship in 2020. The NBA’s free agency moratorium began Tuesday evening, with teams officially allowed to contact and negotiate with players.
Cleveland, Golden State, Miami and Minnesota are also among the teams reportedly showing interest in James, who’s entering his 24th season of professional basketball at 41 years old.
The Nuggets have tried to recruit him in free agency before. Team president Josh Kroenke mailed him a throwback Nuggets jersey in 2018 before James signed with the Lakers. He has described Kroenke as a “very dear friend.”
When the Lakers visited Denver in January, James strayed from his team’s huddle to hug Nuggets center Nikola Jokic during a stoppage in play. Jokic was in street clothes, sidelined by a knee injury at the time. It’s the most recent example in a long history mutual admiration between the two superstars, who have seven combined MVP trophies. They’ve played three playoff series against each other this decade, including twice in the Western Conference Finals.
“Itap the utmost respect,” James said after the game in January. “I mean, for the greats of the game, for the greats of today, the greats of the past, the greats that come after. Jokic is one of the greatest players to ever play this game.”
The connections between Denver and James don’t end there. Jokic’s Serbian agent, Misko Raznatovic, posted a photo to Instagram of him and LeBron on a boat last summer, captioned: “The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026!” Nuggets lead assistant coach Jared Dudley is a former teammate and noted confidant of James.
Still, the Nuggets could be fighting an uphill battle in the chase for an all-time great. His hometown Cavaliers are fresh off an Eastern Conference Finals run. Another one of his former teams, the Heat, recently acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo. And the Warriors can offer him an opportunity to team up with his longtime adversary and friend Steph Curry — they co-starred for Team USA two summers ago under coach Steve Kerr, who also coaches Golden State.
Even former Nuggets executive Tim Connelly, whose Timberwolves thwarted Denver in the playoffs, looms with an opening at power forward in an otherwise talented started lineup.
Wherever James ends up, his decision will driven by “happiness,” according to Charania, not money.
The Nuggets can make a compelling pitch. The championship pedigree of their core is well established — they’re a safe bet for anyone who wants to compete in the playoffs. James and Jokic are widely regarded as two of the smartest players in the history of the sport. Their chemistry would be compelling to watch and difficult to doubt. Denver plays a style of basketball that gets everybody on the floor involved, but with Jokic and Jamal Murray, James also wouldn’t be over-burdened with scoring responsibility. He is, after all, old enough to have a son in the NBA.
The Nuggets are currently projected as a second apron team with raises taking effect for Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun next season, which has led to rampant trade speculation about their starting lineup. (Kroenke’s comment that “everything is on the table” except for trading Jokic has certainly contributed to the rumor mill.)
Indeed, co-general managers Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer have been active on the trade market so far this offseason. But 24 hours into free agency, no Nuggets transactions had been completed yet. Will James be more motivated to consider their advances if they decide to keep the band together and deal with the apron penalties? Or is Denver more likely to entice him with aggressive attempts to improve the roster via trade?
There’s also the unanswered question of Peyton Watson’s future. Nuggets team sources reiterated to The Post recently that re-signing the 23-year-old restricted free agent is their top offseason priority. Watson, coincidentally, changed representation last November as he prepared for contract negotiations. He’s now represented by Klutch Sports, the agency founded by LeBron’s agent and longtime friend Rich Paul.
