Just minutes into free agency, and the Nuggets are already giving fans what they want, bringing Bruce Brown back to Denver on a 1-year deal. Brown was a do-it-all player for the Nuggets during their 2023 championship run, often closing games for the team while playing a super 6th man role.
Free agent Bruce Brown Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets, sources tell ESPN. The 2023 NBA champion for the Nuggets returns to Denver. CAA's Ty Sullivan and Steven Heumann finalized the deal tonight with the Nuggets. pic.twitter.com/YZV094pUs0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025
Now, after floundering around the league for the past two years on a massive contract, he’s back as a free agent, ready to recapture that championship magic with Nikola Jokic and the boys. Brown had hinted at this move for months with social media activity and even appearing courtside at a playoff game in Denver.
Now, he’s back where he experienced the best season of his career, ready to slot right back into his old role. The final numbers still aren’t in on the contract, but the Nuggets had most of the $14.1 million midlevel exception to work with and likely gave Bruce a good chunk of that for next season.
Nuggets' roster markedly better than an hour ago
This move came just moments after the Nuggets traded Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 1st-round draft pick for Cam Johnson. In a span of about 15 minutes, Denver made a huge upgrade to their starting lineup and bench, while creating enough money to keep building out the depth.
New co-GMs (I’m calling them that, I don’t care) Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace have immediately made a huge statement. Everyone thought it was going to be nearly impossible to salvage the roster glut in Denver, but within the first 90 minutes of free agency, they’ve completely flipped the script and have the team extremely well-positioned to enter next season as contenders.
Brown can play almost any position on the floor, and with Jokic acting as a pseudo point-center, he can truly play 1-5 on both ends. Brown’s stats have never jumped off the page, but he can do a little bit of everything, and the Nuggets have never been able to replace everything he brought to the team.
Nuggets not done making moves
Suddenly, the Nuggets are looking at arguably the best starting lineup in basketball with Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic, plus having a formidable bench with Brown, Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, and DaRon Holmes.
On top of that, they have the flexibility to keep making moves and should look to sign at least one more veteran ring-chaser. If Wallace and Tenzer are somehow able to get off the Zeke Nnaji and Dario Saric contracts, they will immediately go down as legends in Denver and will have this team in the mix as favorites, right there with the Thunder and Rockets.