Lonnie Walker IV was a victim of circumstance in 2024, struggling to find a spot on an NBA roster during an offseason that was defined by widespread financial limitations. In response to adverse conditions, the former Los Angeles Lakers wing went overseas. He's since spent a vast majority of the past two seasons competing in Lithuania and Israel.
As the 2026 period of free agency begins to pick up again, however, Walker is making a triumphant, if not bittersweet, return to the NBA by signing with one of the Lakers' rivals: The Denver Nuggets.
Lonnie Walker IV has agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Denver Nuggets, agent George S. Langberg of @GSLSportsGroup told ESPN. Walker was with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague after last playing in the NBA in 2024-25 and now enters his 8th season in the league. pic.twitter.com/tvxQc2RRjz
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 6, 2026
Walker became a fan favorite during his run with the Lakers. Though his tenure with the franchise was brief, he delivered in massive moments, stepping up with an unforgettable performance that helped push Los Angeles to the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
Walker famously scored 15 points in the fourth quarter of a 104-101 Lakers victory over the Golden State Warriors in a pivotal Game 4 that gave the purple and gold a 3-1 series lead.
Walker was quiet the next time out, but then had 13 points in 14 minutes during the decisive Game 6. In the process, he helped send Los Angeles to one of its only two Conference Finals appearances since 2010.
As fate would have it, Walker is now signing with the very team that eliminated the Lakers from the playoffs in the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
Former Laker Lonnie Walker IV signs with Nuggets after 2 years overseas
Denver has become one of Los Angeles' most heated rivals over the past 20 or so years. Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony famously went to war in the 2009 Western Conference Finals, with the Lakers ultimately prevailing. The two franchises met again during the purple and gold's run to the 2021 title.
Unfortunately, the Nuggets have since gone 8-1 against the Lakers in nine infuriating playoff games that produced a sweep and a gentleman's sweep that most fans would prefer to forget.
Even still, one can't help but feel happy for a former Laker who was on the outside looking in of the NBA finally getting another shot. Talent was never an issue for Walker, of course, as he's an explosive athlete and a solid shooter who has proven capable of stepping up in a big spot.
Through seven NBA seasons, Walker has accumulated averages of 10.0 points per game and 17.5 points per 36 minutes while shooting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc—including 37.1 percent over his past three seasons.
With the Nuggets in need of wing depth and Walker searching for another NBA opportunity, the stars ultimately aligned. It's bittersweet for Lakers fans to celebrate his return considering where he's going, but it's also a deserved opportunity for a player who played a pivotal part in Los Angeles' past success.
Walker may not receive all that many cheers if the Lakers and Nuggets meet again in the playoffs, but the former fan favorite deserves the opportunity to play in the NBA again.
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