Nuggets host college star Zuby Ejiofor for workout — could he be an Aaron Gordon replacement?

The Denver Nuggets have a lot of questions to answer this summer. Chief among them: what does their frontcourt look like moving forward? They might have just started looking for an answer.

St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor — the BIG EAST Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Abdul-Jabbar Award finalist and No. 33 on Jonathan Woo’s latest ESPN big board — has a workout scheduled with the Nuggets following next week’s NBA Combine, per SJUDave. Denver holds the No. 26 pick.

Ejiofor is a 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward with a 7-foot-1 wingspan who was one of the most impactful players in college basketball the past few seasons. He’s an energy big who defends the paint, switches onto guards, sets bruising screens, snatches rebounds and finishes at the rim. Scouts describe his defensive presence as “inescapable.” He led St. John’s in assists as a senior, flashing real passing upside and dribble-handoff ability that could mesh in Denver’s system. The offensive game is still developing — he shot 31% from three this year on limited volume, a multi-year project — but the defensive floor is high.

As I wrote days ago, Aaron Gordon’s name is being floated in trade discussions after Denver’s first-round playoff exit to Minnesota. Per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Lakers, Suns and Celtics are among realistic trade suitors. The Nuggets would need quite an offer to part with him, but Gordon is being discussed nonetheless — and the reason is financial, not basketball.

Nobody questions what Gordon means to the Nuggets. When he played this season, Denver outplayed opponents by 13.8 points per 100 possessions. When he sat, that number cratered to +3.1. He’s been a defensive gadget, an unstoppable finisher, a connector, a shooter, a playmaker — the full package. Fans call him “Mr. Nugget” and cheer for him louder than even Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray at times. But he played in just 36 games this year due to hamstring and calf injuries, and he’s appeared in less than half of Denver’s regular-season games over the last two years. He missed the final two games of their first-round loss to the Wolves.

His four-year, $133 million extension kicks in next season at roughly $32 million. The Nuggets already have over $203 million in guaranteed money on their 2026-27 books for just eight players. Ownership wants to duck the luxury tax, and something has to give.

That “something” could be Gordon, which is where a player like Ejiofor enters the picture — not as a one-for-one replacement for an All-Star-caliber power forward, but as a cost-controlled frontcourt piece on a rookie deal who brings many of the same traits Gordon was originally acquired for: switchable defense, rim protection, rebounding and play-finishing next to Jokic.

The pressure to shed salary isn’t happening in a vacuum. Peyton Watson hits restricted free agency this summer, and keeping him is reportedly Denver’s top priority — even if it means sacrificing a current starter. League executives expect Watson to command $24-to-$30 million annually, with the Lakers, Bulls and Nets ready to make aggressive offers. The Nuggets can only keep a maximum of three of Gordon, Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun and Watson if ownership wants to also cut costs.

Then there’s Jonas Valanciunas, whose $10 million salary is only partially guaranteed at $2 million with a July 8 deadline. He’s 34, averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds this year, and missed weeks with a calf strain. Denver could easily waive or trade him to save money, though it leaves a big hole behind Jokic, which he did a good job of filling.

But if you trade Gordon and let Valanciunas walk, who’s playing around Jokic? That’s the Nuggets’ recurring nightmare — they’ve struggled to have real frontcourt depth in the Jokic era. At one point in January they were without Jokic, Valanciunas, Gordon, Braun and Johnson simultaneously, forcing Zeke Nnaji and DaRon Holmes II to anchor the middle. Go back further and it’s the same story: a parade of aging or undersized forwards — you know the names, JaMychal Green, Jeff Green, Mason Plumlee, Paul Millsap on the back end of his career and DeAndre Jordan. And Nnaji and Holmes aren’t going anywhere — meaning those limited players stay on the roster, putting even more pressure on nailing this spring’s first-rounder.

What Zuby Ejiofor brings

Zuby Ejiofor can do it all. @NoCeilingsNBA pic.twitter.com/MT038QyIOT

— ALBERT GHIM (@albertoeghim) May 6, 2026

Ejiofor projects as a physically pro-ready backup five capable of rim-running, guarding in and out and doing the grimy stuff that matters in the playoffs. His defense is his calling card — he’s got a 2.3 steal percentage and 6.8 block percentage that grade out well relative to long-term NBA bigs during their pre-draft seasons. He averaged 1.7 blocks per game across his junior and senior seasons and ran St. John’s switch-heavy defense with the comfort of a guy who could guard one through five at the college level

The question isn’t whether Ejiofor replaces Aaron Gordon. Nobody replaces AG. The question is whether, in a world where the Nuggets trade Gordon, waive or deal Valanciunas, and pour their financial resources into keeping Watson — a world that is looking increasingly likely — can they get a guy at 26 who brings some of those same winning traits on a rookie deal? Heck, they’re going to need that guy if all three of Gordon, Valanciunas and Watson aren’t on the team.

Ejiofor could be that person and that’s why it’s one of the most interesting workouts for Denver.

The 2026 NBA Draft is in late June. The Nuggets frontcourt rebuild — or at least the big boy reshuffling — may start there.

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