Christian Braun Shares His Thoughts on Nuggets Adding DeMar DeRozan

The Denver Nuggets' roster has seen some noteworthy departures over the course of this NBA offseason heading into the 2026-27 regular season campaign. Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, and Bruce Brown are among that group.

At the same time, the Nuggets have also added a handful of intriguing replacements to help replenish the depth that Denver has lost throughout this summer––the most noteworthy of those being none other than six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, who was brought on via a one-year, minimum contract.

As to how DeRozan fits into this Nuggets rotation, and how he'll impact this group for the 2026-27 season, remains to be seen.

However, there's no doubt that many names around this roster are looking forward to suiting up alongside a future Hall of Famer.

What Christian Braun Said About Nuggets Signing DeRozan

The latest player on the Nuggets' roster to open up about the decision to bring in DeRozan was fifth-year guard Christian Braun, who spoke to Sean Keeler of The Denver Post about the addition of the multiple-time All-Star, as well as the front office.

“Really excited to play with another All-Star and learn from him,” Braun said of the DeRozan signing. “I’m always very confident in what our front office does and the team they’ll put together every single year.”

Oct 12, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Christian Braun (0) looks to pass the ball against the Los Angeles Clippers during the third quarter at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was a move that, in reality, after the Nuggets had dealt Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade, was necessary for Denver to stay afloat in the Western Conference.

Watson's trade capped off a Nuggets offseason that saw several key pieces of their second unit head elsewhere. Denver had done a few patchwork moves to bring in guys like Marvin Bagley and Alpha Diallo, but the roster needed a statement addition to truly inspire some level of added confidence entering next season.

And DeRozan, who now enters his 18th year as a pro, might be able to bring just that. He's coming off a solid year with the Sacramento Kings, where he played in 77 games, averaged over 18 points per game on nearly 50% shooting from the field, and might be the one falling into place as the Nuggets' newest sixth man.

Having an additional scorer like DeRozan might also be a factor that helps elevate Braun and his stock a bit this season as well.

Rather than leaning on Braun to be someone who works as an on-ball scorer and primary option on that end, DeRozan will pair as more of an offensive focal point with Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.

That allows for Braun to thrive more off the ball, and perhaps more on the defensive end as well following an up-and-down 2025-26 campaign where he faced a ton of criticism after signing his five-year, $125 million extension before the season tipped off.

Clearly, the move to add DeRozan is one that, based on Braun's comments, he's all onboard with. And if the acquisition goes as expected, it can help Braun and this Nuggets roster as a whole reach steeper heights than they did last season.

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