Nuggets cut Lonnie Walker IV, ending his bid to return to the NBA through Denver’s camp

The Denver Nuggets released guard Lonnie Walker IV on Monday, October 12, closing out his attempt to win a regular-season roster spot after a summer move back from Europe. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the decision, citing league sources, and the league’s transaction log lists the release.

The timing matters: opening night is a week away, and Denver is trimming its camp group toward the players it plans to carry. Walker had not appeared in Sunday’s 133-128 preseason win over the Chicago Bulls, in which 15 Denver players logged minutes.

The move costs Denver nothing against the cap. When Walker’s agreement surfaced in early August, Shams Charania reported it as a one-year, $3.3 million deal, but Bennett Durando of the Denver Post reported soon after that it was a training-camp contract. According to Hoops Rumors, none of the money was guaranteed, so the Nuggets carry no dead salary.

Walker’s next stop is unclear. Hoops Rumors relayed that agent Misko Raznatovic said the guard has joined his agency’s BeoBasket group, which points toward a possible return overseas. Neither Walker nor the Nuggets have commented publicly.

A winding path since San Antonio

Walker, 27, came into the league as the 18th overall pick in 2018 out of the University of Miami and spent his first four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. One-year stops with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets followed between 2022 and 2024.

After a 2024 camp invitation in Boston did not produce a roster spot, he went to Lithuania with Zalgiris Kaunas, then came back to sign with Philadelphia for the rest of the 2024-25 season. In 20 games for the 76ers he averaged 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He spent last season in the EuroLeague with Maccabi Tel Aviv, scoring 15.2 points per game and making 40 percent of his threes, before the club and Walker agreed to part ways this summer. His NBA career average stands at 10.0 points per game.

Denver’s wing picture

Walker’s exit leaves the backcourt and wing minutes behind Denver’s starters to players already in the rotation conversation. According to Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette, Adelman likes his options for the 10th rotation spot, with Alpha Diallo, Julian Strawther and Cam Whitmore all competing for it. Against Chicago, Strawther scored 13 points in 16 minutes, while Diallo added three steals in 13 minutes.

Denver has not said how it will use the opening Walker leaves behind.

What comes next

The Nuggets continue their preseason on Wednesday, October 14, at the LA Clippers, with tipoff set for 10:30 p.m. ET. Follow it in the Nuggets at Clippers Game Center, and track every cut and signing on our transactions page.