Eric Pincus's analysis puts the Denver Nuggets top of the list of the five NBA teams with the worst salary cap situations for the 2026-27 season, ahead of the Orlando Magic, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Denver, criticised for losing Peyton Watson, landed a 2031 first-round draft pick from Cleveland amid mounting financial pressure, a move that, in John Hollinger's view, has kept the team's room to manoeuvre in the trade market intact. Meanwhile, Lakers owners Joey Buss and Jesse Buss hold exclusive rights until the end of November to buy ASVEL, the struggling French club, from Tony Parker.
Against this backdrop, EuroLeague chief executive Chus Bueno is waiting for a formal proposal from the NBA over a possible merger. Representatives of both organisations, he says, publicly agree that joining forces is the best way to grow basketball in Europe. European club owners will assess the merger project in detail. Yet, tellingly, the American side has still to submit an official document.
