The Denver Nuggets have a lot of money on the books for next season. Some of these contracts are very large and will be difficult for other teams to absorb. Especially contracts like Aaron Gordon's, which come with a question mark about health. Other contracts are anchors, like Christian Braun's. All in all, their contracts make for a headache that will give the Nuggets an uphill battle at rebuilding the team around Nikola Jokic for 2026-27.
The Nuggets currently have only 10 players on the payroll for 2026-27, plus the first-round draft pick, and they're barely under the NBA's second apron tax, well past the luxury tax. But contracts like Aaron Gordon's, whose extension kicks in and goes to $33.6 million next year, and then up to $39 million two years later, are going to create speed bumps for the roster rebuild.
The Nuggets may not get the max value in return
You're going to need another team to take a risk on Gordon's health for a hefty price. What's the return going to be? Gordon played in only 36 games this season and in three of the Nuggets' six playoff games. He wasn't there when it mattered. It's not his fault that he has health concerns, but they're real concerns now.
Gordon's still a great player, and when healthy, he is the Nuggets' glue guy. His defense is great, and he's no slouch on offense. It's hard to replace that, and what's the real worth of it if the Nuggets can only get 80c on the dollar in return? Would the Nuggets be better off just resting AG until March to dust the cobwebs off for a run into June?
Christian Braun and Jamal Murray have large contracts
And Christian Braun's contract is rough. His extension also kicks in next season, and the first year of the five-year $125 million anchor will cost the Nuggets $21.5 million. Braun only averaged 12.0 points and 4.8 rebounds after averaging 15.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in 2024-25. Most of Braun's numbers were down, and he had a bad playoff run. The Nuggets are probably stuck with this deal unless they take less value than Braun had last year.
Jamal Murray's contract is huge. Murray starts making $50 million next season, and that goes up to $57 million by 2028-29. At least Murray is coming off a career year. If the Nuggets did decide to part with the first-time All-Star, they'd get a great return.
It would just be tough to stomach for Nuggets fans. But something has to change. The Nuggets were dismantled by the Timberwolves. Some change has to happen if the Nuggets are going to make a run next year and beyond with Nikola Jokic as their foundation.
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