The Nuggets and their fans have known for a while that this was going to be a tricky and important fall as both Christian Braun and Peyton Watson are eligible for rookie extensions until October 20th. But things have gotten even trickier with the way the past few months have played out for the roster, and even more so with the way both have played in the preseason.
Braun continues to look excellent and has shown improvement in key areas, including shooting. He made 3/4 three-pointers in Sunday’s exhibition game, and if he adds that kind of shooting punch, he can push his way into All-Star talks someday.
Extending Braun is a must
Denver has to keep him, but his price tag is only going up, with Braun said to be seeking $30 million a year. That’s looking like a fair deal, and one that will likely age pretty well, but it’s going to make the Nuggets’ starting lineup insanely expensive, costing close to $200 million as soon as next season.
Surely, that means there won’t be any money to extend Watson, but Peyton has been balling out so far in preseason, showing an improved offensive game off the dribble. As great as everyone thinks this revamped bench is going to be, we saw some struggles on Sunday as Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown couldn’t find their shot.
On top of that, DaRon Holmes may not quite be ready for primetime, and Julian Strawther and Jalen Pickett are still question marks. The Nuggets don’t have a lot of other options for defense and athleticism, and if THJ isn’t making shots, the wing depth can get pretty thin. The team may need Watson more than they anticipated, both this season and beyond.
If they don’t extend him, they’re headed for a dicey restricted free agency situation. We just saw that play out extremely poorly for the 2025 RFA class, and there’s no reason to think things will get a lot better.
Extending Watson and Braun will create financial crunch
If they extend Watson and Braun, the team will be in the second apron for years to come, and back to having a team with little depth, banking on the kids to come through. But if they don’t extend them, or even one of them, they are letting good, young, homegrown talent walk out the door for nothing.
It’s a brutal decision, and one that looks even tougher as Braun and Watson keep playing so well. The vibes are so good in Denver right now, it would be a shame to make one of these guys upset. At the same time, overpaying and locking in a big-money, long-term deal could be crippling for the next few years.
The new front office, led by Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace, has nailed every challenge thrown their way so far, but this may just be the toughest one yet.