One night after trading out of the first round, the Denver Nuggets kept both of their second-round picks Wednesday and selected a pair of five-year college players in the NBA draft: Trevon Brazile of Arkansas with the 35th pick and Bryce Hopkins of St. John’s with the 49th.
Hopkins, a 6-foot-6 forward, is a Downers Grove native who played at Fenwick, leading the Friars to the Catholic League title in 2021. He began his college career at Kentucky before spending three seasons at Providence and playing his final season at St. John’s.
He and Brazile were the first draft picks used by co-general managers Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace since they took over the Nuggets front office in 2025. But the duo was equally focused on asset accumulation during the two-day draft.
More Top Picks Shark Navigator Lift Away
The Nuggets were originally slated to pick 26th in Tuesday’s first round, but they traded that pick to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for No. 35 and two future second-round picks. The Spurs drafted Brazile on Denver’s behalf.
“We got two extra seconds that we feel good about,” Tenzer said. “You can look at other deals around the league and see what two seconds get you at the trade deadline and things like that. It’s tough to not have as many things as maybe other teams, but throughout the years, we’ve given assets for other options at the time. So this is what it is, and we’re comfortable with where we’re at.”
Wallace said the Nuggets also looked into trading up in the first round for a point guard, but “it got a little expensive.” No trades materialized involving lottery picks (top 14) on draft night. The first on-the-clock trade was for No. 16, which the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired from one spot lower.
Wallace emphasized the importance of “staying disciplined” and not catching draft fever.
“It was a heavy point guard draft,” he said. “I think everybody in this room would agree that there were a lot of guys we liked (in the first round), but they just didn’t fall to our area. We tried to make some moves to get up. It just didn’t work. We’re not the only team that wants elite point guards.”
One reason the Nuggets ultimately traded down, multiple team sources told The Denver Post, was they felt like there was a substantial talent drop-off around the 20th pick.
“So we saw an opportunity to restock the war chest a little bit,” Wallace said.
That led them to Brazile and Hopkins.
Brazile, 23, averaged 13 points and 7.3 rebounds last season. The 6-9 power forward played his last four college seasons at Arkansas and his last two under coach John Calipari, who’s known for getting his players (including Nuggets star Jamal Murray) NBA-ready.
An explosive above-the-rim athlete whose feel for the game is his most scrutinized attribute, Brazile was ranked 41st on ESPN’s draft board and 46th on The Athletic’s. He grew up in Springfield, Missouri.
The Nuggets fielded calls from teams that wanted to trade up for the 35th pick, according to a source, but they ultimately felt comfortable with Brazile’s skill set and experience.
Hopkins was ranked 46th by ESPN and 73rd by The Athletic. The big-bodied wing is four days older than Nuggets wing Peyton Watson, who was drafted in 2022, and 18 months younger than Zeke Nnaji, who was drafted in 2020 and is Denver’s third-longest-tenured player. He played for both Calipari and Rick Pitino in college.
“We saw some guys that addressed some needs,” Wallace said, “in terms of length, recovery, defensive ability, versatility, rebounding, toughness. So we saw the opportunity to do that with guys who’ve been coached hard, played in good programs.”
Wallace pinpointed defensive recovery multiple times while discussing the picks.
“In this league, guys are good. It’s hard to stop guys 1-on-1,” he said. “So anytime you can add individuals who have the length and athletic ability to recover and get back in the play, that’s always going to be an added plus.”
Both players, coincidentally, suffered and recovered from torn ACLs during college. Hopkins tore his left ACL in January 2024. When he returned the next season, he played only three games, then had a season-ending bone bruise in the same knee. Brazile tore his right ACL in December 2022.
Hopkins averaged 13.6 points and 6.2 boards last season at St. John’s while shooting 36.3% outside the arc. He supplies Denver with a different form of athleticism than Brazile, less vertical but more physical. He’s an adept rebounder for a wing.
Tenzer said the Nuggets still are evaluating whether they’ll sign Hopkins to a standard or two-way contract. Denver now will begin the process of filling three two-way spots.