Nuggets finalize deal with rookie Hopkins, hint at next move

The Denver Nuggets have signed their second-round pick Bryce Hopkins to a two-way deal per HoopsHype, giving the public a better idea of what the team’s final roster will be when the season tips in the fall.

Between the Peyton Watson trade, DeMar DeRozan pickup and the finalization of Hopkins’ contract, the Nuggets now have one open roster spot on their 15-man and they also boast an open two-way slot with the expected waiving of Julian Reese.

Hopkins, a prep star who took a winding road through college, was selected by the Nuggets at No. 49 this summer in the NBA Draft. The forward was a top-50 recruit who bounced from Kentucky to Providence to St. John’s — coming to Denver with physicality and a highmotor. He may help the team get more rim pressure, a trait the Nuggets have lacked for a few years on the wing.

He is 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. He enters the fold as one of the more accomplished college resumes in his draft’s class. He was the 2020-21 MaxPreps Illinois Player of the Year out of Fenwick in Oak Park, a consensus four-star recruit ranked 33rd nationally by ESPN, before opening his career as a reserve at Kentucky. He broke out after transferring to Providence — earning First Team All-Big East as a sophomore — but a torn ACL wiped out most of his next two seasons.

Hopkins resurrected his stock at St. John’s. This past season, Hopkins, 23, averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.8 minutes, shooting 46.9% from the field, 36.3% from deep and 71.3% from the line. He was the Red Storm’s second-leading scorer and best shooter, earning Second Team All-Big East and an All-Tournament nod while anchoring St. John’s to the Big East regular-season and tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament wins.

He’ll make for an interesting two-way player next to another highly accomplished former college guard from Colorado in K.J. Simpson. Both players will be limited by the restrictions that come with a two-way deal, but this type of player has been really important for the Nuggets in the past — including last year when Spencer Jones rose from that role to a mainstay in the rotation.

The final spot on the Nuggets’ active roster is likely to go to Lonnie Walker, who signed a tryout deal earlier this summer. Meaning Denver’s full roster picture is nearly complete.

Here’s a look at the Nuggets depth chart from a recent epsoide of Shapiro and Piro.

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