Michael Malone and Bruce Brown drop hints at parade he’ll be back
Jun 15, 2023, 2:21 PM
DENVER—The Denver Nuggets are essentially whole going into next season, with no major free agents and the core all coming back in hopes of a repeat title run.
That is, except for important sixth man Bruce Brown, who can opt out and become a free agent this summer. Brown said in the champagne shower after the Nuggets won Monday night that he would like to be back. And one of the main themes of the parade was to convince the 26-year-old to keep Denver as his home.
“Is Brucey B going anywhere, hell no!” Micheal Malone voiced. “We running it back!”
Here’s the video (it contains explicit language) of Malone yelling for Brown to come back while on the championship stage.
— follow @dubs408 (@somedubvids) June 15, 2023
After the scheduled speeches Brown impromptu got on stage and asked, “One more year?”
— follow @dubs408 (@somedubvids) June 15, 2023
Yeehaw, saddle up, and so on, Brown might be coming back! His 11.5 points per game were a career-high, he also tallied 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest while playing 80 games. In the postseason he played both as a backup point guard and as a three-and-d wing.
Brown signed last summer in Denver after two years in Brooklyn where they couldn’t figure out how to use him but knew he was a good player. Brown was a point guard out of Miami but struggled in his first two seasons with the Pistons.
The deal Cowboy Bruce signed was for $13.3 million over two seasons but this second year is a $6.8 million player option. If he declines the Nuggets could offer him a total of $7.7 million for 2023-24. Brown has become a core member of the Nuggets and is arguably the team’s most important role player, at the very least he’s the most versatile.
But the same rule that allowed Brown to sign in Denver with the first place could prevent the Nuggets from keeping him. The taxpayer mid-level exemption is the deal Brown signed, which is significantly less than the non-taxpayer mid-level exemption or a straight-up cap space contract. That exemption is worth north of $10 million a season and could total a four-year $45 million deal.
Whereas if Brown comes back for one year at $7.7 million, he’ll be taking a significant risk before the Nuggets could offer him north of $13.4 million per season next offseason, starting in 2024.
***
