Nuggets' Financial Situation After Christian Braun Extension: Good or Bad News?

On Monday, just hours before the deadline, the Denver Nuggets granted Christian Braun his rookie contract extension, as the two sides agreed on a generous five-year, $125 million deal to keep him with the franchise through the 2030-31 season.

Of course, it was a huge priority for the Nuggets to retain Braun for the long term. They now have their core group of Braun, Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and Jamal Murray all under contract together through the 2027-28 season, and likely well beyond that as well.

However, keeping all of those players under contract for so long could create some financial trouble down the road. Or, could it be a good thing?

Nuggets are nearing the second apron

Feb 12, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and guard Christian Braun (0) in the first quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

In the 2026-27 season, the Nuggets are projected to pay around $164.35 million in guaranteed money to just the group of Braun, Jokic, Murray, and Gordon. On top of that, they still have Cam Johnson under contract for $23.1 million, and they are paying two backup centers, Jonas Valanciunas and Zeke Nnaji, a combined $17.47 million, although Valanciunas' salary is non-guaranteed.

Suppose they keep Valanciunas, which they will likely see how valuable it is to have a reliable backup center behind Jokic. In that case, they will be paying seven players a combined $204.9 million, which is inching close to the projected second apron mark of $223 million.

So the Nuggets are set to pay $193 million in guaranteed salary to six players next season. (Projected second apron is $223 million.) That’s not including $10m in non-guaranteed salary tentatively going to Jonas Valanciunas, and four other players with team options totaling $13m.
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) October 20, 2025

Of course, there are plenty of ways to back off that second apron, like not retaining Valanciunas or declining team options. Four players will have a team option for the 2026-27 season: DaRon Holmes, Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, and Hunter Tyson, with their deals totaling up to around $13 million if they were to accept all of them.

Denver's books are very loaded at the top, with all five of their starters set to earn over $21 million in the 2026-27 season, once Braun's extension kicks in. However, maybe that isn't too bad.

Not all bad news for Denver

Sure, the Nuggets will be tight on money in 2026 free agency with so much guaranteed money on their books, but they are building a championship contender with the players they already have. Locking up their core group for the long term is a great move for Denver, as they have set a clear championship window for themselves.

There is minimal doubt that the Nuggets will be competing for an NBA title every year that Jokic is under contract, so ensuring that he has a consistent supporting cast is key to repeating their success from 2023.

The Nuggets' bench unit will likely look different in a couple of years, but keeping their core starters under contract will help them out for years to come.

Nuggets are nearing the second apron

Not all bad news for Denver

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