Kj Simpson Signing Reshapes Nuggets' Guard Depth and Roster Flexibility

Who feels the shift first: Denver's rotation and its G League pipeline. The planned addition of kj simpson on a two-way contract immediately increases ball-handling depth while leaving the guard group constrained by playoff ineligibility for the signee and an already packed two-way roster. This move adjusts how minutes, assignments and short-term contingency plans will be handled as the regular season reaches its final stretch.

Immediate roster impact and strategic upside

Bringing another young guard onto a two-way changes the practical options the coaching staff can use when injuries or matchups force rotations. Here's the part that matters: a two-way signing provides flexible coverage without committing a full roster slot, but it also comes with limits — most notably that the player will not be available for NBA playoff games while on that contract.

What's easy to miss is how this ripples through the G League assignments. Denver's affiliate has been short-handed for much of the recent stretch, and adding an NBA-ready ball-handler helps both the parent team and its developmental squad manage gaps created by call-ups and injuries.

• Adds ball-handling depth behind the current rotation and complementary starters.
• Does not create immediate postseason availability for the player while he remains on a two-way contract.
• Increases the number of guards occupying two-way slots, concentrating developmental options in backcourt pieces.
• Relieves short-term G League strain from recent assignments and injuries but tightens long-term roster decisions ahead of restricted free agency events.

Kj Simpson: contract terms, recent timeline and what changed

The Nuggets are planning to add Kj Simpson to a two-way contract, filling the opening created when Spencer Jones was converted to a standard NBA deal. Simpson, 23 and listed at 6-foot-2, was waived by Charlotte at the trade deadline and is poised to split time between the NBA and the G League under the two-way arrangement.

In the NBA, Simpson has appeared in 50 games over the last two seasons with 17 starts, averaging 7. 3 points, 2. 8 rebounds and 2. 9 assists. He was selected 42nd overall in the 2024 draft. At the college level, he played 98 games for Colorado, earned First Team All-Pac-12 honors as a junior and hit a game-winning shot in the 2024 NCAA Tournament that advanced his team to the second round; that Colorado squad set a program record with 26 wins.

Micro timeline:

• Drafted in 2024 (42nd overall).
• Waived at the trade deadline this month by Charlotte.
• Planned signing with Denver on a two-way contract to fill the converted roster spot.

The real question now is how the addition affects short-term lineup usage and longer-term roster economics. Denver already has multiple guards on two-way deals, and that concentration influences who gets developmental minutes, who is available for emergency call-ups, and which players face squeeze as restricted free agency approaches.

Key signals that would confirm the next turn: tracking immediate G League assignments after the signing, monitoring whether the new two-way player is activated for regular-season minutes, and watching how many starts or meaningful rotations existing reserve guards retain over the coming weeks.

Editor’s aside: The bigger signal here is how a low-commitment addition like this becomes a lever for roster engineering — it buys flexibility now but narrows options later when multiple young players are entitled to larger offers.