After sitting out the first night of the 2026 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets got on the board with a pair of picks in the second round of the draft on Wednesday night. Armed with the No. 35 and No. 49 overall picks, the Nuggets selected Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile and St. John’s Red Storm forward Bryce Hopkins with their pair of picks.
And yet, while the draft wrapped up after the No. 60 overall pick, teams across the league continued working hard on scooping up players on the undrafted free agent market. On Thursday morning, Denver brought another versatile wing to town, as it signed Tennessee State Tigers star Aaron Nkrumah to a contract.
Nuggets Sign Aaron Nkrumah to Exhibit-10 Contract
Nkrumah’s path to the NBA was not straightforward in the slightest, but he has now found himself with a shot to carve out a role for himself in the pros. Initially, Nkrumah started his career at Quinsigamond Community College, but the COVID pandemic wiped out the team’s season. Nkrumah would then transfer to a small Division III college in Massachusetts, Nichols College, but he didn’t suit up for them at all during the 2022-23 season.
That led Nkrumah to transfer again, this time to the Worcester State Lancers. After averaging 16.9 points per game for Worcester State in his lone season with them, Nkrumah made the jump to Division I, as he transferred to the Tennessee State Tigers, which is where he put himself firmly on the radar of teams in the NBA.
The 2025-26 campaign was a standout year for Nkrumah, as he averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and three assists per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. In addition to that, Nkrumah was a beast on defense, as he averaged 2.8 steals per game. He didn’t hear his name get called in the 2026 NBA Draft, but the Nuggets quickly scooped him up on an Exhibit-10 contract on Thursday morning.
“Tennessee State guard Aaron Nkrumah is signing an Exhibit-10 Contract with the Denver Nuggets, league sources told ClutchPoints,” NBA insider Brett Siegel reported in a post on X. “Nkrumah will now compete for one of Denver’s open two-way roster spots after being a standout throughout the pre-draft process.”
Aaron Nkrumah Aiming to Earn Two-Way Roster Spot with Nuggets
GettyThe Nuggets have signed forward Aaron Nkrumah as an undrafted free agent
It took Nkrumah a while to find his footing in the college ranks, but once he did, he quickly proved himself to be a game-changer. His path from not playing at the Division III level to starring for a Division I team showcased his growth, and if he can adjust to life in the pros, he could very well find a way to stick with the Nuggets.
Nkrumah will look to make an impact during Denver’s Summer League action, which he will almost surely take part in now that he has latched on with the team, and if he can, that would go a long way towards helping him stick around for a bit. While Nkrumah has gotten his first contract in the pros, the work is only just getting started for him, but he is a name well worth watching as the Nuggets begin preparing for the upcoming season.
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