There have been a lot of projections and speculation around Christian Braun’s next contract, which will soon be the main piece of business for the Nuggets to attend to. Braun is extension eligible this month, and the team would be wise to get something done while they can, before we see another disastrous restricted free agency situation play out.
Bleacher Report recently published an article projecting contract extensions for eligible players, and that number for Braun was five years, $140 million. That would place the average annual value at $28 million a year for Braun through his age 29 season.
That’s a gaudy figure for a role player who has little to no superstar upside. Braun has been outstanding, and he’s a perfect glue guy in the starting lineup who took a big leap last season, nearly winning the league’s Most Improved Player Award.
Braun averaged over 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists a game last season while being the team’s main perimeter stopper and excelling in transition. He brought a style and energy that was severely lacking and became a vital part of the Nuggets’ core.
$28 million a year is a lot of money for a role player like Braun
Braun is still young and should continue to play well and get better, but how much bigger can his role realistically get on this team? Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray aren’t going anywhere, and those two will lead the offense as long as they’re in Denver.
Aaron Gordon and now Cam Johnson will be the secondary “stars” to a lesser extent, and the bench is now stacked. Braun’s importance is massive to the Nuggets, but if he’s being paid like a star, it’s going to be tough to keep the whole roster intact and make the pieces fit together.
This all comes at a tough time for the Nuggets, with other extensions set to kick in soon, Peyton Watson also up for a rookie extension, and Jokic due for a supermax next summer. The team is going to get very expensive very fast, but they can’t afford to take a step back with Jokic entering his 30s.
The Nuggets can negotiate and try to get Braun on a lower number, or perhaps fewer years, but they really can’t afford to play hardball and ruin the relationship. But the bottom line is that they need Braun in town, and even if the number makes fans uncomfortable, they’re just going to have to pony up and get it done.