The Nuggets don’t have a full-time general manager at the moment, but there’s no reason to worry.
Team president Josh Kroenke said he planned to take a little more time hiring a top executive after naming David Adelman the franchise’s next head coach earlier this week. Here’s five moves The Denver Gazette would make during a pivotal offseason:
1. Extend Nikola Jokic
Let’s start with a layup. Denver’s five-time All-NBA first-teamer is eligible for a contract extension on July 7. Unfortunately for Denver, the Nuggets can’t sign Jokic to a lifetime contract. An additional three years for $212 million is the best Denver can do. That would keep Jokic in Denver through the 2029-30 season. Jokic’s current contract expires after the 2026-27 season, though there’s a player option for the next season. What better way for a new executive to ingratiate themselves with Jokic than with a new deal. If Jokic doesn’t sign an extension this summer, Nuggets fans can start getting anxious.
2. Reward Christian Braun (within reason)
The Jokic decision is easy. What to do with Christian Braun is more complicated. Braun took a massive leap in his third season, replacing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as Denver’s starting shooting guard. The problem for the Nuggets is Braun was almost too good as a first-year starter. After finishing fourth in the Most Improved Player race, Braun is eligible for an extension on July 1. Don’t be surprised if Braun wants a deal like what Jalen Suggs got from Orlando. Suggs got a five-year extension worth $150 million. Denver has some leverage, as Braun would be a restricted free agent after next season if they don’t agree to an extension, but the best outcome for both parties is an extension this summer.
3. Make Peyton Watson prove it
Like Braun, Watson becomes eligible for an extension on his standard rookie contract this summer. The 22-year-old continued to move in the right direction, as he played his most meaningful playoff minutes this year. What Watson hasn’t done is provide the kind of consistency the Nuggets need. His peaks are promising, but the valleys play into Denver’s depth issues. If Watson wants to sign a team-friendly extension this summer, that’s an easy call, but he’s not in a position to demand much from the Nuggets.
4. Bring back a fan favorite
It would be wise for the next general manager to get a good idea just how interested Bruce Brown is in a reunion. Brown needed just one season to become a favorite of Nuggets’ fans. Then, he parlayed his big role on the championship squad into a two-year contract worth $45 million. The money is nice, but Indiana quickly traded Brown to Toronto for Pascal Siakam. Toronto then flipped Brown for Brandon Ingram, and he finished the season with New Orleans, a team that has a long way to go to become considered contenders. Brown attended one of the Nuggets’ first-round games against the Clippers and shared the team’s post announcing David Adelman as the next coach. The Nuggets will be limited in what they can offer Brown, a familiar situation for both sides, but he’s the most likely potential contributor on the free agent market to give the Nuggets a friendly deal. Add Steven Adams on a veteran minimum, and Denver has another fan favorite, while addressing the back-up center hole.
5. Make the tough trade
There’s only one player the Nuggets can feasibly trade to shake up the roster this summer, and that’s Michael Porter Jr. Moving MPJ won’t be easy given his salary and injury history. Denver attaches Julian Strawther in a deal with Brooklyn that brings Cam Johnson and D’Angelo Russell to Denver. Johnson serves as Porter’s replacement in the starting lineup, while Russell, whose contract expires after next season, orchestrates Denver’s new-look second unit alongside Brown, Watson, DaRon Holmes II and Adams. It’s not the sexiest trade, but it might be as good as Denver can do.
