A few hours before Monday's extension deadline, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania tweeted what Denver Nuggets fans were waiting for (and feared wouldn't happen) — that Christian Braun and the team agreed to an extension. It's a five-year, $125 million deal.
Charania said that it was a "priority" for front office duo Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace to negotiate a new deal with Braun, the No. 21 pick in the 2022 draft. Braun is coming off the best season of his young career, as he averaged 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, shooting 58% from the field and 39.7% from three.
He turned into a full-time starter in his third season in the league, starting 77 of the 79 games he played after previously starting a combined 10 games in his first two seasons. Braun quickly became a fan-favorite as a rookie, but more important than that, he's a young do-a-little-bit-of-everything player who impacts winning.
Braun wanted to stay in Denver, and Denver wanted him to stay. So did fans, coaches, his teammates, which, of course, includes Jokić.
Braun, the No. 21 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, has been a developmental find and success for the Nuggets brass. Denver's top execs, Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace, made it a priority to negotiate a new long-term deal to lock in Braun as part of the franchise's core moving forward. https://t.co/M2jzqS2w3q
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 20, 2025
Nuggets just granted Christian Braun and fans their wish with one savvy move
There was talk that Braun could command up to $30 million per year from Denver, and in this day in age the CBA reigns supreme, a deal that comes out to an average of $25 million per year (the actual structure of the deal hasn't been reported yet) is good value for the Nuggets.
Some may label it as an overpay, but it's the range Denver needed to pay to keep Braun. He would've entered restricted free agency next summer without an extension, and while the Nuggets could've matched any offer sheet that Braun got, that doesn't mean another team wouldn't have poached him. There is also the real chance that he would've upped his value during the season.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on Sunday that Denver doesn't want to be a taxpayer next season, so especially after the Braun decision, the Nuggets will have to find a way to cut their finances next offseason. Fischer added that if Denver and Braun reached an extension, Peyton Watson, who is also extension-eligible, wouldn't get one. Charania confirmed that the deadline will pass without a Watson deal.
Denver is a "tax-conscious" team, as Fischer worded it, but that didn't stop the organization from paying Braun. What may happen in the future is another story, but right now, the Nuggets are focused on the 2025-26 season and making another championship run. Guess who can help them do that?
Christian Braun.