Once the Denver Nuggets roster was finalized (17 of 18 spots at least), the next order of business was always the potential rookie extensions of Christian Braun and Peyton Watson. While P-Wat will have to wait until the offseason, when he is a restricted free agent, to sign another contract, Braun was handed a well-deserved extension.
Braun was expected to receive an extension with the Nuggets after performing incredibly well last season as the starting SG, perhaps proving former GM Calvin Booth right on at least one decision last offseason, which many fans critiqued. This decision was not re-signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the starting SG that helped Denver win their lone championship.
Braun ended up filling in for KCP just fine and his chemistry with both Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, in addition to the rest of the team turned out to be a match made in heaven, exceeding expectations. The former Kansas Jayhawk averaged 15.4 PPG on a remarkable 66.5% true shooting to go along with being the best transition player in the entire league (per possession).
Not only this, but Braun shot 39.7% from beyond the arc, nearly matching the three-point efficiency of Caldwell-Pope the year prior (40.6%). While it was on less volume (2.8 attempts per game compared to KCP’s 4.1 attempts per game), it was a very promising trend.
Some NBA fans argued that $25 million a year was an overpay to lock up Braun long-term, but there is a lot of data, common sense, and comparable contracts that suggest otherwise.
4 player extensions indicate the Braun contract is appropriate value
As the deadline to get an extension inked neared, there were rumors that Braun would be in the ballpark of this 5-year $125 million deal. However, some sources indicated that the per-year average could have been even as high as $30 million. Some also argued that Braun might take a discount to stay in Denver and stay in the $20-22 million range. Turns out the truth was in the middle.
On paper, it is tough to conceptualize what the salaries and per-year averages mean exactly, since the salary cap is consistently rising and contracts often feel different years down the line. The best way to evaluate the Braun deal is to look at the comparable deals inked recently for other players, and there have been quite a few. For reference, Christian Braun is 24 years old.
Jabari Smith Jr. signs 5-year $122 million deal - In June, Smith Jr. signed a contract that looks incredibly similar to Braun’s deal at $24.4 million per year. The difference is that Smith Jr. was drafted 3rd overall and is just 22 years old. With that being said, his progression has felt inconsistent at times and his progression has stagnated recently.
Herb Jones signs 3-year $68 million deal - in July, a true wing player similar to Braun inked his own deal, this time with Jones and the New Orleans Pelicans. The deal was shorter, but the $22.7 million per year average is also in line with Braun's deal. Jones is the superior defender, but Braun is better offensively. Jones is also 27 and played in just 20 games last year due to injury.
Shaedon Sharpe signs 4-year $90 million deal - Fast forward to October, and another young guard finalized his deal in Portland. The 22-year-old Sharpe inked a contract for $22.5 million per year and is an intriguing athletic upside wing who averaged 18.5 PPG. Where Braun has him beat is by being a 38.4% three-point shooter, compared to Sharpe’s inept 33.0% (on higher volume to be fair).
Dyson Daniels signs 4-year $100 million deal - Shortly after Braun signed his deal, Daniels, the steal master in Atlanta, also signed his own $25 million per year contract. The young defensive guru is yet another 22-year-old player with a higher draft pedigree than Braun, but is similar in the fact that Daniels did not pop in either of his first two seasons in the league.
All in all, while everyone will have their own preferences between these players, the fact is that all of them could be viewed in a similar tier, and all of their contract extensions make sense in the $22-25 million range. Braun’s deal should be viewed as a fair deal, not an overpay.