Denver Nuggets 2026-27 Salary Cap Sheet
Updated · 2026–27 season
| Pos | Player | Age | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | 2029-30 | 2030-31 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Nikola Jokić | 31 | $59.03M | $62.84M | — | — | — | Trade Kicker: 15% |
| PG | Jamal Murray | 29 | $50.11M | $53.82M | $57.53M | UFA / $79.2M | — | |
| PF | Aaron Gordon | 30 | $31.98M | $34.54M | $37.09M | — | — | Trade Kicker: 3% |
| SF | Cameron Johnson | 30 | $23.06M | UFA / $34.6M | — | — | — | |
| SG | Christian Braun | 25 | $21.55M | $23.28M | $25.00M | $26.72M | $28.45M | UFA / $42.7M |
| PF | Zeke Nnaji | 25 | $7.47M | $7.47M | UFA / $14.2M | — | — | |
| G | Spencer Jones | 25 | $6.00M | $5.75M | UFA / $11.8M | — | — | |
| SG | Julian Strawther | 24 | $4.83M | RFA / $14.5M | — | — | — | |
| C | DaRon Holmes II | 24 | $3.37M | $5.55M | RFA / $16.6M | — | — | |
| SF | DeMar DeRozan | 37 | $2.45M | UFA / $2.6M | — | — | — | |
| PF | Marvin Bagley | 27 | $2.45M | UFA / $2.6M | — | — | — | |
| PG | Tyus Jones | 30 | $2.45M | UFA / $2.6M | — | — | — | |
| F | Trevon Brazile | 23 | $1.36M | $2.29M | $2.69M | $2.92M | UFA / $2.6M | |
| SF | Alpha Diallo | 29 | $1.36M | UFA / $1.4M | — | — | — | |
| PG | K.J. Simpson | 24 | Two-Way | — | — | — | — | Year 2 |
| SF | Bryce Hopkins | 24 | Two-Way | — | — | — | — | Year 1 |
| Total | $217.46M | |||||||
| Pos | Player | Age | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | 2029-30 | 2030-31 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Jonas Valančiūnas | 34 | $666,667 | $666,666 | $666,666 | — | — | |
| Total | $666,667 | |||||||
| Pos | Player | Age | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | 2029-30 | 2030-31 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF | Peyton Watson | 24 | $13.07M | — | — | — | — | |
| SG | Bruce Brown Jr. | 30 | $2.45M | — | — | — | — | |
| SF | Richard Jefferson | 46 | $2.45M | $2.61M | $2.79M | $2.97M | $3.17M | |
| SG | Justin Holiday | 37 | $2.45M | $2.61M | $2.79M | $2.97M | $3.17M | |
| SG | Troy Daniels | 35 | $2.45M | $2.61M | $2.79M | $2.97M | $3.17M | |
| C | Demarcus Cousins | 36 | $2.45M | $2.61M | $2.79M | $2.97M | $3.17M | |
| PF | Vlatko Cancar | 29 | $2.45M | $2.61M | $2.79M | $2.97M | $3.17M | |
| G | Curtis Jones | 24 | $2.19M | — | — | — | — | |
| PF | David Roddy | 25 | $2.19M | — | — | — | — | |
| PG | Markus Howard | 27 | $2.19M | $2.33M | $2.49M | $2.65M | $2.83M | |
| Total | $34.32M | |||||||
| CAP | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | 2029-30 | 2030-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary Cap | $164,961,000 | $176,000,000 | $187,778,000 | $200,344,000 | $213,751,000 |
| Active Salary | $217,460,512 | $195,529,176 | $122,317,570 | $29,642,289 | $28,448,274 |
| Dead Money | $666,667 | $666,666 | $666,666 | ||
| Luxury Tax Total | $219,218,837 | $196,195,842 | $122,984,236 | $29,642,289 | $28,448,274 |
| Luxury Tax Room | -$18,790,837 | $17,644,158 | $105,165,764 | $213,775,711 | $231,258,726 |
| Apron Total | $224,273,837 | $196,195,842 | $122,984,236 | $29,642,289 | $28,448,274 |
| 1st Apron Space | -$15,258,837 | $26,806,158 | $114,940,764 | $224,204,711 | $242,385,726 |
| 2nd Apron Space | -$2,587,837 | $40,325,158 | $129,364,764 | $239,593,711 | $258,804,726 |
| Cap Holds | $34,321,819 | $15,398,558 | $16,429,016 | $17,528,426 | $18,701,407 |
| Total Cap Allocations | $252,448,998 | $211,594,400 | $139,413,252 | $47,170,715 | $47,149,681 |
| Cap Space (after holds) | -$87,487,998 | -$35,594,400 | $48,364,748 | $153,173,285 | $166,601,319 |
The Denver Nuggets carry $217,460,512 in salary for 2026–27, the 3rd largest payroll in the league.
That is $53.2M over the $165.0M salary cap, so the roster gets built through exceptions, re-signings and trades rather than cap space.
They are $18.8M over the $200.4M luxury-tax line, and at that payroll the tax bill projects to $75,294,150 — a combined cost of $292,754,662.
Above the second apron at $221.7M, Denver Nuggets cannot aggregate salaries in a trade, cannot take back more money than they send out, cannot use any exception beyond the minimum, and cannot trade a first-round pick seven years out.
This team has 14 players on standard contracts and 2 two-way deals.
Nikola Jokić is the largest cap hit on the roster at $59,033,114, 27.1% of team payroll, ahead of Jamal Murray ($50.1M) and Aaron Gordon ($32.0M).
They have $18,498,235 of spending power available across 3 exceptions, the largest a $10.2M TPE (Peyton Watson).
Committed salary drops to $195,529,176 for 2027-28, held by 8 players still under contract, against a projected $176,000,000 cap.