Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:
NBA Insider
After Nikola Jokic decided against signing a contract extension last week, it became Christian Braun and Peyton Watson’s turn at the negotiating table.
The two wings became eligible for extensions on their rookie contracts over the weekend. Given their draft slots, Braun is due $4.9 million next season, while Watson will make $4.4 million before any extension kicks in. Rookie-scale extensions can add up to five years to a contract.
If there is no agreement on an extension, Braun and Watson will enter restricted free agency next season. That means other teams can offer them contracts, but the Nuggets will have the opportunity to match the offer before losing the players drafted in 2022.
Denver’s financial outlook got a little easier to navigate after the Michael Porter Jr. trade, but things will get complicated again if Christian Braun signs an extension in line with some of his peers. Orlando guard Jalen Suggs got $150 million over five years last summer. New Orleans just gave Herb Jones a three-year extension worth $68 million. After proving himself as a starting-caliber wing on a contending team and seamlessly fitting next to Nikola Jokic, expect Braun to net something in the $25 million-per-year range.
Watson’s case is more complicated. He’s still just 22 years old and put his potential on display at different times over his first three NBA seasons, but the Nuggets might grapple with paying for promise if it’s all about winning now. The Nuggets have come to regret giving Zeke Nnaji a four-year extension worth $32 million a couple of summers ago. Watson would be right to want more, but the Nuggets might want to be more cautious, especially if it takes a bit more to get Braun’s signature. He said he’s prioritizing getting his body right this offseason, after a knee injury slowed him last season, and making the most of his fourth NBA season.
“I feel like it impeded my momentum. … I definitely am working to get stronger, stay more durable and definitely just shoot the living daylights out of the ball,” Watson told Altitude. “That’s all I’m doing.”
Both guys spent some time around the coaches and executives at Summer League in Las Vegas.
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic won’t sign contract extension this summer
What I’m Thinking
The Nuggets won’t be Summer League champions after an 0-2 start, but there’s still meaningful hoops to be played in Las Vegas. Here’s what we’ve learned so far and what questions remain over the remainder of Denver’s trip to the desert.
1. DaRon Holmes II 3-point shot looks real. Through two games, the big man is 5 for 10 from 3-point range. He hasn’t second-guessed his shot as one of Denver’s featured players, but it’s hard to draw many other conclusions. After five of his six attempts in Saturday’s loss to Minnesota came from deep, he’s taken more than half of his shots from outside the arc. A little more aggression inside the arc would be welcome when Denver plays its third Summer League game on Tuesday.
2. Hunter Tyson’s playing hard and aggressively, but the lack of efficient scoring his concerning for a player heading into his third NBA season. Tyson’s be a Summer League standout before, but that hasn’t been the case so far. He went 4 for 14 against Milwaukee, including a 1-for-6 mark from 3, and 5 for 14 against Minnesota. The 18 rebounds Tyson has grabbed through two games show he’s engaged, but seeing some shots fall is the best thing that can happen for Tyson the rest of the trip.
3. The Nuggets have one two-way roster spot remaining, and none of the players vying for that spot have made much of a case to start Summer League. Tyrell Harrison has been efficient inside but has failed to convert some easy opportunities. Reece Beekman took a step forward running the offense with 10 assists against two turnovers on Saturday, but he’s 3 of 10 from the field through two games. Curtis Jones and E.J. Liddell have had moments but lacked consistency with three games left to make a statement.
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Denver Nuggets officially acquire Jonas Valanciunas from Sacramento Kings
What They’re Saying
The Altitude broadcast caught up with Cam Johnson at Summer League. He talked about his excitement to be back in a winning organization after being traded from Brooklyn, how his skillset can help the Nuggets take another step next season and playing alongside Nikola Jokic.
“It’s like a dream come true. Playing against him a lot when I was in the Western Conference and my whole career, the things he’s able to do … he just sees the court, sees every aspect of the court,” Johnson said. “For me as a shooter, all I know is if I’m in the right spot, he’ll find me.”
The 29-year-old averaged 8.5 points and shot 43.5% from 3-point range in the 2021 NBA Finals as a member of the Suns, but played in just one playoff series the last three years with the Nets.
“I just want to win,” Johnson said. “I try to be in the right spots every time, make the right play. … There’s going to be a lot of open shots out there, and we’re going to generate them for each other.”
Kickin’ It with Kiz: The one person on planet who could lure Nikola Jokic away from the Nuggets
What I’m Following
– It’s looking like Nuggets fans won’t have to wait until October to see Nikola Jokic play meaningful basketball. Jokic is expected to represent Serbia at EuroBasket, according to Serbian outlet Meridian Sport. Jonas Valanciunas is on Lithuania’s roster for the competition that starts in late August.
– Speaking of Jokic, Bleacher Report put the three-time Most Valuable Player at No. 17 on its list of the top 100 NBA players of all time. Jokic is just behind Kevin Garnett and just ahead of Dirk Nowitzki.
– Former Nuggets assistant Ryan Saunders has a new home. Saunders will be Tuomas Iisalo’s lead assistant in Memphis, according to a report from the Daily Memphian.
– C.J. McCollum’s run as president of the National Basketball Players Association came to an end. McCollum’s tenure included the passage of a controversial collective bargaining agreement, which took effect a couple of years ago. Rockets guard Fred VanVleet started a four-year term as McCollum’s successor on Saturday.
Michael Porter Jr. offers appreciation for time with Nuggets, excitement for next chapter with Nets
– Milwaukee did well to address its lack of backcourt depth. The Bucks are reportedly Cole Anthony’s next destination after the former Magic guard reached a buyout with the Grizzlies. Anthony was part of the trade that sent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Memphis for Desmond Bane.
– Bad news for those hoping to see more of No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg in the next week. The Mavericks are shutting down the forward for the remainder of Summer League. Flagg dropped 31 points in Saturday’s game against Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick in last month’s draft, and the Spurs. The one-and-done prospect out of Duke scored just 10 points on 21 shots in his Summer League debut.