Lonnie Walker IV’s next opportunity could come overseas after his bid to earn a spot with the Denver Nuggets ended Monday.
Walker has hired Misko Raznatovic as his new agent and that Raznatovic is expected to explore an overseas job for him. Walker had been competing in Denver on a non-guaranteed contract.
The update followed a report that the Nuggets had waived the veteran guard. Together, the developments put an international return on the table after Walker’s latest attempt to reestablish himself in the NBA.
Lonnie Walker IV changes agents as Denver stint ends
Raznatovic announced Walker as a client earlier Monday, before the waiver report emerged. His announcement referred to Walker’s recent experience with Zalgiris Kaunas and Maccabi Tel Aviv while noting that he was still in Denver’s training camp at the time.
Lonnie Terrence Walker IV is our new client! He shined last 2 years in Europe, playing for Zalgiris and Maccabi, while he is currently at the Denver Nuggets’ training camp!#BeoBasket
— Misko4Raznatovic (@MiskoRaznatovic) October 12, 2026
“Lonnie Terrence Walker IV is our new client!” Raznatovic wrote.
That sequence helps explain why the agent announcement and the Nuggets’ decision initially appeared as separate stories. By Monday afternoon, many had connected the change in representation to the possibility of another international stop.
Raznatovic also represents Nikola Jokic. Sharing an agent with Denver’s franchise centerpiece, however, did not prevent Walker’s release.
The roster decision left him looking for a different opening. Walker has already played for San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn and Philadelphia, with Denver becoming his latest attempt to find an NBA role.
An international return would add another chapter to a career that has taken him through several different roster situations.
Walker faced a crowded competition for Nuggets minutes
Denver’s camp offered Walker an opportunity to compete, but his non-guaranteed deal did not secure a regular-season role. The distinction became decisive as the Nuggets evaluated their options beyond the established rotation.
Walker did not play in Sunday’s preseason game against the Chicago Bulls. Ryan Nembhard, Cam Whitmore and Bryce Hopkins are younger options already on two-way contracts.
The broader competition was evident before Monday’s move. Coach David Adelman described a camp in which the final rotation jobs were still being contested.
“The back end of the rotation is up for grabs. You can feel it,” Adelman said.
Julian Strawther’s scoring, Alpha Diallo’s defense and Whitmore’s physical play are different ways Denver could fill those minutes. The question is not simply which player can score, but which skill set best complements the rest of the lineup.
That is a difficult setting for a camp invitee. A player must demonstrate something the team needs while competing against others whose roles may be narrower but easier to fit into a specific lineup.
Walker’s release resolved his place in that competition without settling every remaining decision for Denver.
Denver is looking for complementary pieces around its core
The Nuggets’ established group helps explain the limited room available: a starting lineup of Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Jokic, with DeMar DeRozan expected to direct much of the second unit’s halfcourt offense.
DeRozan’s arrival also changed the context from the summer, when Ahn Fire Digital examined his possible destinations after Sacramento released him. Denver now has an experienced scorer to lean on beyond its starters.
For the players fighting to join that group, activity without the ball can be as valuable as creating a shot. Hopkins earned praise for attacking the basket, pursuing offensive rebounds and accepting defensive assignments.
“He plays to his strengths,” Adelman said of Hopkins.
Hopkins was working to learn multiple positions and had shown a willingness to pressure the ball alongside Diallo. Those details illustrate the kinds of contributions Denver is evaluating as it completes its bench.
They do not establish a single reason for Walker’s release. They do show why a recognizable veteran could face a difficult path even after receiving an invitation to camp.
An overseas return would continue a familiar career path
Walker already has experience moving between European basketball and the NBA. Walker played for Zalgiris before returning to the NBA with Philadelphia in February 2025.
He subsequently joined Maccabi and used an NBA exit provision to pursue the Denver opportunity this summer. His recent history therefore includes both directions of travel: leaving Europe for an NBA opening and returning overseas after an NBA stop.
That history is relevant to the next decision. An international contract would not be unfamiliar territory, but the terms would matter.
Playing time, contract length and any future NBA exit provision would help determine how another overseas move fits into his longer-term plans. The Philadelphia stop also separates Walker’s recent path from a simple two-year absence from the NBA.
He returned between his stints with Zalgiris and Maccabi, then pursued another opening with Denver. The Nuggets’ decision closes that particular opportunity without establishing what offers he will receive elsewhere.
For the Nuggets, attention returns to the players still competing to complete Adelman’s rotation. For Walker, the next meaningful update will be whether that overseas search produces a concrete offer and an agreement.
