Julian Strawther Out 6 Weeks With a Knee Sprain Before His Oct. 19 Extension Deadline

Photo: NBA.com. Julian Strawther, Denver Nuggets.

Julian Strawther has a sprained left knee and will be re-evaluated in six weeks, the Denver Nuggets announced Friday night after an MRI. That checkup lands around Nov. 27, and the diagnosis came three days before Monday's deadline for a rookie scale extension. If no extension is signed by Monday, he would be headed for restricted free agency in 2027.

The injury

The injury came with about 4:33 left in the third quarter of Wednesday's preseason game at the Clippers. Strawther was trying to get out of a double-team when his left leg got caught underneath him and twisted as he landed, Hoops Rumors reported. He stayed down, checked out and did not return. Head coach David Adelman said afterward, "All you can do is hope for the best."

Strawther played four preseason games before the injury and averaged 13.2 points in 18.4 minutes, shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 43.5 percent from three and 83.3 percent at the line. The Denver Gazette said he was scoring at multiple levels and getting more comfortable initiating the offense. Adelman wants a 10-man rotation. Strawther, 24, has started 18 games in his career.

Denver's shooting losses

Denver led the league at 39.6 percent from three last season. Tim Hardaway Jr. hit 40.7 percent and Peyton Watson hit 41.1 percent, and both are gone. Through four preseason games, the Nuggets shot 34.9 percent from three, 19th in the league, according to On SI. The starting five of Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokić returns intact, and Johnson and Gordon each made half their threes this preseason.

DeMar DeRozan came in as the halfcourt hub for the second unit. Marvin Bagley III backs up Jokić. Tyus Jones is the backup point guard. Spencer Jones, the backup power forward, has not played this preseason because of a left hamstring strain.

Diallo or Whitmore

The Gazette named Alpha Diallo and Cam Whitmore as the other two players competing with Strawther for one of the few rotation spots up for grabs. Diallo, a 29-year-old rookie, has become an impactful defender and knocked down open shots in a preseason win over Utah. Whitmore, 22 and on a two-way contract, brought the bench to its feet with a late dunk in that same game. With Strawther and Spencer Jones out, On SI projected a bench of Tyus Jones, Diallo, DeRozan, Trevon Brazile and Bagley, with Whitmore mixed in.

The contract side

Strawther averaged 7.1 points in 16.2 minutes across 172 regular-season games in his first three seasons, with a .429/.346/.801 shooting line. Last season it was 57 games at 7.2 points. Hoops Rumors reported he was not considered a strong extension candidate even before the injury, with Denver cap-strapped. The deadline is Monday at 6 p.m. ET. As a restricted free agent next summer, he could sign an offer sheet elsewhere, and Denver would hold the right to match it.

A re-evaluation in six weeks does not mean he will return then, Hoops Rumors noted. Denver opens Oct. 22 at Oklahoma City, and the re-evaluation comes around Nov. 27.

Sources

• AP via NBA.com: Strawther to be re-evaluated in 6 weeks after spraining left knee (Oct. 16, 2026)
• Hoops Rumors: Nuggets' Julian Strawther out at least six weeks with knee sprain
• ESPN: Strawther out indefinitely with knee sprain, Nuggets say
• Hoops Rumors: Key 2026 NBA preseason dates and deadlines (rookie scale extensions, 5 p.m. CT Oct. 19)
• NBA.com: Nuggets schedule (opener Oct. 22 at Oklahoma City)
• Denver Gazette: Adelman encouraged by options to complete rotation
• On SI: Nuggets' three-point numbers and bench outlook
• CBS Sports: Nuggets' Spencer Jones misses another preseason contest (hamstring)