The Denver Nuggets are going back to the drawing board after a first round exit this year, and their first order of business could be to appease franchise center Nikola Jokic.
Denver is targeting veteran swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic as an option in free agency this summer, according to a report this week by Serbian outlet Meridian Sport. Bogdanovic currently has a $16 million team option for next season with the LA Clippers, which they are expected to decline.
The 33-year-old Bogdanovic, a former first-round pick, has been in the NBA since 2017. He is known as a stellar off-the-dribble scorer and had his best career season with the Atlanta Hawks in 2023-24, averaging 16.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game primarily as a sixth man.
Bogdanovic has been with the Clippers since 2025. But he fell out of favor with the team last season, averaging just 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 19.7 minutes per game. Bogdanovic was also limited to just 23 total games played due to management of a lingering hamstring issue.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets three-time MVP center Jokic is very familiar with Bogdanovic. Both players hail from Serbia and have acted as co-stars on the Serbian national team (including when Serbia won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics and bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics).
Denver went 54-28 this past season but lost in six games during the first round to the Minnesota Timberwolves. They could be making a number of big changes this offseason, but Bogdanovic stands out as a potential buy-low reinforcement for the Nuggets who also has superb chemistry and history with Jokic.
