In the afterglow of a terrific summer push to improve their cap space and build out their depth, the Denver Nuggets are also facing a critical offseason decision to make on two critical contributors.
The limitations of Denver’s 2024-25 roster became glaringly apparent after a pair of hard-fought seven-game playoff series this season. Despite fielding the de facto best player in the league, three-time MVP Center Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets have yet to return to even the Western Conference Finals since winning it all in 2023.
During the 2025 playoffs, then-Denver starting forwards Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon both incurred significant injuries, and though they played through them they were essentially well-compensated paper decoys for the shorthanded squad.
Denver has revamped its finite bench this summer
The Nuggets’ finite bench was exposed with Porter and Gordon hurting. Sixth man guard Russell Westbrook and reserve forward Peyton Watson were Denver’s only two bench pieces to earn consistent playoff minutes during the playoffs.
Guard Julian Strawther had a handful of solid games during Denver’s second-round playoff loss to the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder, in what was otherwise a mixed bag.
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Now, Westbrook is gone, having declined his player option for 2025-26. He has yet to find a new home in free agency, despite finishing sixth in Sixth Man of the Year voting this past season.
The Nuggets have opted to move on from the overpaid, defensively-limited Porter, whom they traded to the Brooklyn Nets for the cheaper Cameron Johnson, a better two-way player. Denver also traded for a true backup center behind Jokic, Jonas Valanciunas, and inked a pair of solid wings, Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr., to below-market veteran’s minimum deals.
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Will the Nuggets front office’s summer success continue into the fall?
Denver has until Oct. 20 to sign Watson and starting shooting guard Christian Braun to rookie-scale salary contract extensions. If the Nuggets fail to reach an agreement with either player, they could hit restricted free agency next summer. The Nuggets would have the right to match any contract offer extended to either player by a rival team, but it may behoove Denver to set the price now rather than wait for the market to dictate what Braun and Watson are paid.
Braun, 24, is one of former team president Calvin Booth’s best draft finds, having firmly established himself as a two-way keeper — an excellent complement to star point guard Jamal Murray in the backcourt.
The 6-foot-6 Braun instantly slotted into Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s starting slot as a 3-and-D swingman last season. He averaged a career-best 15.4 points while slashing .580/.397/.827, 5.2 boards, 2.6 dimes, 1.1 swipes and 0.5 blocks in 79 regular season bouts (77 starts).
Watson, still just 22, remains an intriguing, athletic forward, although it’s unclear how much he can grow as a handler. Last season, he averaged 8.1 points on .477/.353/.693 shooting splits, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.7 steals a night. He could fight for minutes this year on the wing against proven vets Brown, a crafty and versatile defender, and Hardaway, a solid shooter.
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