Lonnie Walker IV Signs With Beşiktaş After Nuggets Release

Lonnie Walker IV has found his next stop just days after his NBA preseason ended. Beşiktaş announced Thursday that it signed the 27-year-old scoring guard, sending Walker back overseas after the Denver Nuggets waived him earlier this week. Denver had brought Walker into camp on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, but he appeared in only two preseason games before the club moved on.

The move gives Walker another chance to rebuild momentum in a setting he already knows. The former first-round pick previously played in Europe with Žalgiris Kaunas and Maccabi Tel Aviv after NBA stops with San Antonio, the Lakers, Brooklyn and Philadelphia. Last season with Maccabi, Walker averaged 15.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in EuroLeague play, showing that his athletic scoring game can translate against high-level international competition.

For Walker, the timing is important. Rather than wait on the NBA free-agent market after losing Denver’s roster competition, he moves directly into a significant role with a major Turkish club. At 27, an NBA return is still realistic if he produces, but Beşiktaş offers immediate minutes and visibility. The signing also turns Denver’s waiver decision into a fresh international storyline: Walker’s NBA door may be temporarily closed, but his next opportunity arrived almost immediately.