Denver's battle with the injury bug continues ahead of the NBA trade deadline


Getty Images

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will miss at least the next month with a right hamstring strain, the team announced Thursday. Gordon will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks, which sets him up to potentially return in March, just ahead of the regular season's home stretch. Gordon's injury occurred in last Friday's 102-100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, which he left early after playing just 16 minutes in the first half.

This is quickly turning into somewhat of a lost season for Gordon, who re-injured the same hamstring that kept him out for over a month earlier in the season. Gordon, 30, strained the muscle in a Nov. 21 NBA Cup game and did not return to action until Jan. 4.

When healthy, Gordon has been highly productive for the Nuggets (31-16). His 17.7 points per game are a career high, and he continues to make an impact from beyond the arc, shooting 40% for the second consecutive season. However, Gordon has been limited to just 23 games as Denver continues to deal with an array of injuries, headlined by three-time MVP Nikola Joki?'s knee injury.

The Nuggets list seven injured players ahead of Thursday's game against the Brooklyn Nets: Gordon (right hamstring strain), Joki? (left knee bone bruise), Tamar Bates (left foot surgery), Christian Braun (left ankle sprain), Cameron Johnson (right knee bone bruise), Jamal Murray (right hamstring inflammation and left hip inflammation) and Jonas Valan?i?nas (right calf strain). Murray and Valan?i?nas are probable to play on Thursday while the rest are out.

Denver has gone 9-5 without Joki? and will continue its quest to hold ground in the Western Conference playoff race while its stars miss time. The Nuggets enter Thursday in third place in the West, two games ahead of the fourth-seeded Houston Rockets and 6.5 games back of the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder.

Peyton Watson's breakout is a boon for the 2026 Nuggets and a potential financial crisis for the 2027 Nuggets
With Joki? and others set to return before long, the Nuggets could slowly begin to get back to full strength in time for the final regular season push and into the playoffs. Joki? hyperextended his knee on Dec. 30 and was initially ruled out at least four weeks, and he remains on track to be re-evaluated in early February.

Denver could seek reinforcements at the Feb. 5 trade deadline, but with the injuries leaving the Nuggets short on depth, keeping the roster intact might make more sense. The franchise is about $400,000 over the luxury tax threshold, per Spotrac, and could look to shed salary at the deadline if it makes a move at all.

Source