The Nuggets still have an open roster spot and could use a backup point guard, but for the most part, the heavy lifting is done for the offseason. The next major order of business is working on rookie contract extensions for Christian Braun and Peyton Watson.
Braun and Watson were both drafted in 2022 and are set to enter the final year of their rookie deals, which will pay them $4.9 million and $4.4 million, respectively, based on their draft slots. Denver has until October to negotiate extensions, or each player will play out their deal and become restricted free agents at the end of the year.
That’s not the worst thing in the world, but it’s far from ideal, as we’re seeing how it’s crippling teams and players around the league. Players like Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes, and Cam Thomas are all sitting in limbo currently, waiting for their RFA situations to play out, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going well for any of them.
It doesn’t seem like it’s going well for their teams either, as the Warriors haven’t been able to make a single move all summer, in a sort of holding pattern until things get straightened out with Kuminga.
For one thing, the Nuggets should want to avoid a potential toxic and hostile situation with their young players, but also, next season, many more teams will have cap space, and real offer sheets could be coming that would make life extremely uncomfortable for Denver.
Braun extension should take priority
Braun is clearly the more important player to the Nuggets, but he’ll also be much more costly. Jalen Suggs was seen as a comp for Braun, and he got a five-year, $150 million deal. As the cap goes up, that deal wouldn’t age terribly, but giving up $30 million a year for a fourth or fifth starter is a big risk in this economy.
The last thing fans want to see is another Michael Porter Jr. situation playing out in a few years. But Braun is also a much more complete player than MPJ, who has more room to grow and has gotten better each year. He brings things to Denver that no other player does.
Ideally, they should hope to get him closer to $20 million a year, but something around $25 million feels like a fair compromise for both sides.
Watson situation trickier
Negotiations with Watson should be more interesting. He has shown promise, but not consistency, and his place in the rotation this season will be interesting to monitor. If the Nuggets still believe in him, now would be a good time to work out a team-friendly deal to keep him in Denver.
But if the new coaching staff has soured on Watson, they may want to make him bet on himself and force him to earn it in what will become a make-or-break season. If he balls out, it may come back to hurt the Nuggets, but if it’s more of the same, they may avoid their next disastrous contract.