Just three days after refused Nuggets veteran guard Lonnie Walker IV has signed a contract with Beşiktaş, according to statements from the Turkish team and its agent, has received a new opportunity abroad Mishko Raznatovich (Twitter references).
Walker, the 18th overall pick in the 2018 draft, is a seven-year NBA veteran with 342 regular-season games for four teams, but he’s also no stranger to European basketball. The 27-year-old spent most of the 2024/25 season in Lithuania with Zalgiris Kaunas before spending the 25/26 campaign with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.
In 28 EuroLeague games last season with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Walker averaged 15.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 22.8 minutes per night on a .394/.351/.758 shooting percentage.
Walker was in camp with Denver this fall on a non-guaranteed contract, but was always considered a tough shot to make the regular-season roster because of the Nuggets’ cap situation. Carrying a 15th man on a minimum wage contract would increase the club’s projected taxes by approximately $16.5 million.
On the same day that he was waived by the Nuggets, it became known that Walker had signed a contract with Rosnatovich’s agency BeoBasket, which represents the interests of many players in Europe. It was strong evidence that the 6ft 4in guard intends to return overseas for the 2026/27 season, and subsequent reporting revealed that at least three Euroleague teams, including Beşiktaş, are interested in him.
Besiktas is off to a 1-2 start in the Turkish Basketball Super League and has a 2-3 record in the Euroleague, so Walker will be tasked with helping the team try to climb the standings in both competitions. He joins a list that includes several other former NBA players, including Jaylen Nowell, Furkan Korkmaz, Ante Zhyzych, Devon Dotsonand Venien Gabriel.
