Report: Bruce Brown to the Lakers might actually happen

Bruce Brown spent the Western Conference Finals hitting big shots and making big stops for the Denver Nuggets all the while he trolled the Los Angeles Lakers.

But now Brown may switch sides in the heating-up rivalry. Multiple reports claim the Lakers are interested in offering Brown more money when free agency opens on Friday than what the Nuggets are allowed to offer. Los Angeles can start Brown off with a deal that would pay him upwards of $12 million next season while the Nuggets can offer about $7.7 million, due to Salary Cap and Luxury Tax rules.

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. Maybe that can help tip the scales back to Denver?

The deal Cowboy Bruce signed was for $13.3 million over two seasons but this second year is a $6.8 million player option, which he has already declined. If Brown signed the $7.7 million contract with the second season being a player option, Denver could then offer him a long-term extension next summer, 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.

Against the Lakers he made D’Angelo Russell disappear thanks to his contributions on both ends and some smack talk. The Lakers of course got swept by the Nuggets but it’s a bigger payday and a chance to join LeBron James and company. James meanwhile is not happy with the Nuggets and Brown leaving would fan the flames.

But the Lakers might not be alone in wanting Brown, and a team with cap space might blow their offer out of the water. One reporter says Brown is going to get a huge offer from a Texas team.

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, but they have some options for filling in his role—including their big picks during draft night.

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