Veteran NBA Guard Reveals He Nearly Signed With Lakers Before Choosing Nuggets

Nov 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; A general overall view of the Los Angeles Lakers city connect logo at midcourt against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers missed out on signing a champion guard in free agency recently.

After getting swept out of the 2023 Western Conference Finals by three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic and the rest of his Denver Nuggets (who were en route to their first-ever franchise title), Los Angeles team president and general manager Rob Pelinka knew how he wanted to improve his roster over the summer: by signing Denver's free agent sixth man.

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This Lakers squad was led by All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while a pair of emerging younger pieces — guard Austin Reaves and forward Rui Hachimura — enjoyed breakout playoff performances.

Shooting guard Bruce Brown is a unique player, who thrived with the star-studded Brooklyn Nets as a the roll man in inverse pick-and-roll actions, while also functioning as a solid passer, defender and rebounder. His special skillset endeared him in Denver, but the Nuggets also appreciated that he was likely going to get too rich an offer in 2023 unrestricted free agency for them to retain him.

While chatting on the "DNVR Nuggets Podcast," Brown explained that he nearly accepted the Lakers' offer that summer.

"I was going to the Lakers after the championship," Brown said. "I was going to the Lakers. Free agency started, they called me and Darvin Ham's the coach... And they wanted me to be [their] starting point guard. So I'm like, 'I got LeBron, I got AD, I got guys where they went to the Western Conference Finals, I want to win again, I can be a starting point guard for this. And all I'm doing is getting them the ball and getting the hell out of the way, the same thing I'm doing here [in Denver]. And I was like, 'I'm going to do it.' I was going there on a three-year deal."

Before Brown could put pen to paper, however, the Indiana Pacers (who at that point had yet to make the playoffs during their Tyrese Haliburton era) tendered his agent a major offer.

"As soon as I get off the phone, my agent's calling me again, like, 'Hold up. We got a call from Indy. Boom boom.' I'm like, 'Okay.' He's like, 'It might be a crazy deal.' Hang up, he calls me again. 'Two-year, $40 [million].' I'm like, 'What the f---? ...Where do we sign? Let's do it!'"

Brown explained exactly how much the Lakers offered him.

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"It was three years, $50 [million], but I would have a trade kicker," Brown said. "So they [the Pacers] offer me two years, $40 [million]" Brown said. "But the person who got it done — 'cause the second year was a team option — Tyrese called me, and was like, 'Listen, we're trying to get it done. We really want you here. I want you here, I want to play with you,' 'cause they wanted to play fast in transition or whatever. And then [it became] two years, $45 [million]."

Brown's tenure in Indiana proved short-lived. He was flipped to the Toronto Raptors midway through the season. Toronto subsequently flipped him to the New Orleans Pelicans halfway through 2024-25. He returned to Denver as a free agent this past summer on a veteran's minimum deal.

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.