In scouring the limited free agent market this offseason, and factoring in that the Nuggets only have a taxpayer mid-level exception and minimum contracts to offer, it’s hard to imagine Denver landing a better player than Bruce Brown.
Brown, of course, played an integral role in the Nuggets’ road to a title in 2023, but left for big money in free agency and hasn’t been able to stick with a team since. Brown’s $23 million contract is expiring, and he’s set to hit free agency this offseason, which would create a nice potential reunion situation in Denver.
The Nuggets have sorely missed all of the intangibles that Brown provided, being a connective piece on offense as a sort of point forward while providing solid defense as well. He was the perfect, versatile, two-way bench role player that every contender wants, and he played that role to perfection in Denver.
Both sides have shown an openness to a return, with Brown even showing up to sit courtside in Denver for a playoff game and commenting on the David Adelman hiring on his social media. It certainly seems like a return in free agency would be welcomed by both teams, but the Pelicans may not make it so simple.
New Orleans may look to sign and trade Brown
While Brown is an unrestricted free agent, he’s unlikely to field massive offers on the open market. Very few teams have cap space, and none of them are contenders. If Brown wants to vie for another ring and contribute, he is going to have to take a large pay cut.
For him to land back in Denver, he’d have to settle for the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.7 million a year) or a veteran minimum. Perhaps Brown is happy to do that, and all things considered, he may not get a better deal.
But, there’s also the possibility that New Orleans tries to maximize his value on the way out and work with Brown to sign-and-trade him to a team of his choosing. That could allow Brown to go to a destination he wants, make a salary higher than the TPMLE, and help the Pelicans bring back an asset.
This would open up Brown’s list of suitors significantly as well, but it would almost certainly eliminate the Nuggets. Denver doesn’t have the draft capital to get a deal done, and they have no appealing young players to match salary and intrigue the Pelicans.
Ultimately, Brown holds the cards. If he’d like to take a discount to return to Denver and try to win another ring alongside Nikola Jokic, that would be an ideal situation. But if he wants to maximize his earning potential, he’ll likely look at other options, and a reunion in Denver would become unlikely.