Bruce Brown is getting paid a ton, leaving Denver for the Pacers

One of the Denver Nuggets most important players is leaving the Mile High City, as Bruce Brown is taking more money than what the Nuggets could offer and signing a two-year, $45M deal with the Indiana Pacers, according to ESPN.

Bruce Brown's 2-year, $45 million agreement with Pacers has a team option on second year, per sources.

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 30, 2023

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. He 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 became 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.

The deal Cowboy Bruce signed to play for the Nuggets last year was for $13.3 million over two seasons but this second year is a $6.8 million player option, which he declined. Brown actually could’ve signed to stay in Denver for slightly more than that amount at $7.7 million per season with the second year being a player option, Denver could’ve then offered him a long-term extension next summer, starting at $13.4 million per season.

The massive bag over the next two seasons may mean Denver could attract future free agents to play next to Nikola Jokic then cash out.

Against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals 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 and were one of many teams interested in Brown.

During the champagne showers and parade, Brown said he wanted to come back.

He didn’t end up holding to those high-flying words. Denver’s offseason hinged a lot based on the Brown decision, but they have some options for filling in his role—including their big picks during draft night.

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