3 Trade Suitors That Could Make Sense for Nuggets' Christian Braun

Among the roster moves that could be made throughout the Denver Nuggets' offseason, one name who's been linked as a possible mover to shake up the rotation (and more importantly, shed cap space) has been Christian Braun.

After a bumpy fourth season in the mix, combined with a freshly signed rookie-scale extension worth $125 million before the season, it'll certainly be a tricky puzzle to solve if Denver wants to ship off their young wing. That's especially so when factoring in his poison pill restriction that lasts until July 1st.

Yet, the trade market might not be totally barren for a player like Braun.

He's still 25 years old, has shown qualities of being a winning player having been on Denver's 2023 championship roster, and if able to bounce back to his year three form, could make that $125 million extension look a lot better than it does right now.

If a team were looking to take a chance on Braun, and the Nuggets were truly interested in dealing him, here are three trade partners who could make sense to do business with:

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are in a unique position this offseason: they've got cap space, a blank canvas of a roster, need to build a competitive group without a 2027 first-round pick, and could be looking to take a shot on a player like Braun that could thrive a bit further in a bigger opportunity that they have available.

The Nuggets might still have to attack a sweetener in the form of a draft pick to incentivize the Nets to take on Braun's hefty, long-term commitment, but of the suitors in the field who would be willing to take on that risk, it is slim. Brooklyn is one of the few who could do so.

One player whom the Nets would likely have to part ways with in a Braun deal to make the money match up is Terrence Mann and his $31.5 million deal over the next two years. But his addition as a two-way piece on the wing could be a valuable, cheaper replacement for the Nuggets to take interest in.

Chicago Bulls

The one edge that the Bulls have over other trade suitors on the market (and particularly in a move for Christian Braun) is their immense amount of cap space. According to Spotrac, Chicago is projected to have over $60 million to spend, and could utilize that via trade instead of free agent acquisitions.

They've also got expiring contracts that could be valued for the Nuggets if they simply want to hit a reset button on the $125 million deal they just paid out less than 12 months ago. Isaac Okoro and Jalen Smith fit that mold, as well as Tre Jones, who has a team option in the 2027 offseason.

Like a Brooklyn deal, the Nuggets would almost certainly need to sweeten the pot with extra draft picks in a deal with Chicago and shed Braun's hefty salary. But considering the Bulls are just now kickstarting their rebuild with a fresh head coach and front office, they could be intrigued to make that happen.

Milwaukee Bucks

A fit with the Bucks would likely be contingent on the slim chance that the Nuggets get involved as a third or fourth team in a blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade that's widely expected to happen later this offseason.

If Milwaukee is turning in another direction without Antetokounmpo in the fold, perhaps taking a chance on a younger talent like Braun could be a worthwhile investment to find a spark on both ends of the floor in their backcourt that's currently lacking.

Someone like Kyle Kuzma and his expiring $20.4 million contract would be easy to move in a swap like this, or maybe the Nuggets could pull off an acquisition of Bobby Portis to bolster their frontcourt depth with a floor spacer to fit their offensive system, which might just be an awesome addition to this current rotation.

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