Bruce Brown declines his option with Nuggets, but don’t panic yet

DENVER—Bruce Brown has reportedly declined his $6.8 million player option for the 2023-24 season, which comes as no surprise. The question still remains, will Brown come back to the Denver Nuggets and attempt to repeat as champions?

Denver Nuggets G/F Bruce Brown Jr. is declining his $6.8 million player option for the 2023-24 season and will become a free agent, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Brown, a key member of the Nuggets title, faces decision of Denver return in free agency versus deal elsewhere.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 21, 2023

On the surface Brown declining the option may seem as though his time in the Mile High City is up, but that’s not true. The Nuggets can now actually offer Brown more money. The deal Cowboy Bruce signed last summer was for $13.3 million over two seasons but this second year is a $6.8 million player option, which he has now declined. Now the Nuggets could offer him a total of $7.7 million for 2023-24. A two-year deal worth $7.7 million a season with the second season being a player option gives the sides a chance at a long-term deal in the summer of 2024, starting at $13.4 million per season.

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. Brown’s 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. Brown has noted that he has a lot of respect for the Nuggets for giving him a real chance with the ball in his hands as a playmaker, something that is not assured elsewhere.

Brown could sign the non-taxpayer mid-level exemption elsewhere or a straight-up cap space contract. That exemption is worth north of $12 million a season and could total a four-year $50 million deal. Meaning Brown could be leaving significant money on the table to return to Denver.

For what it’s worth, during the champagne showers and parade, Brown said he wanted to come back.

The Brown decision hinges a lot of the Nuggets offseason, including Thursday’s NBA Draft.

***