With three weeks remaining to reach a deal with the Nuggets, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson both shared an optimistic stance on their respective futures Monday.
Denver’s two first-round draft picks from 2022 are nearing the final year of their rookie contracts. That means they’re also nearing the deadline — Oct. 20, the last day of the offseason — to sign a rookie-scale extension.
As they convened at Ball Arena ahead of training camp, Braun and Watson both expressed a desire to remain with the team that drafted them.
“There’s no frustration (at the lack of a contract agreement so far). I think that it’s gonna happen at some point,” Braun said during Denver’s annual preseason media day. “Whatever happens, happens. And I think the most important part is, I need to show up and do my job. I think that’s kind of how I’ve always been. So that doesn’t change. … Continue to put the work in, and all that stuff will take care of itself.”
Braun, 24, likely made himself more expensive to the Nuggets with a breakout third season. Replacing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup, he averaged an efficient 15.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while often guarding the opponent’s best player.
A bench contributor during Denver’s 2023 playoff run, Braun has outperformed his draft placement since he was picked 21st overall in 2022. Now he’s widely projected to earn anywhere from $20 million to $30 million annually on his second contract.
“We have had preliminary conversations, and we hope to kind of build on that in the next couple of days, moving forward,” Nuggets VP of player personnel Jon Wallace said. “He’s a large part of what we do. We look forward to it.”
Watson was taken 30th in the same draft class. While his development is not as far along as Braun’s from a production standpoint, the 23-year-old has emerged as one of the best shot-blocking wings in the league with 181 blocks over the last two years. Watson is expected to remain a regular in Denver’s rotation after playing in 148 of 164 regular-season games the last two years.
“They both have huge roles coming up this year,” Nuggets VP of basketball operations Ben Tenzer said. “We feel like they’re both ready to take a step, and we hope they’re here for a long time.”
Cap space is the only snag. The Nuggets are already on the hook for at least $171.6 million in salary spread across only five contracts for 2026-27, when the extensions for Braun and Watson would go into effect. The second tax apron is projected to be around $222 million. If Denver hopes to stay under that punitive threshold, the front office will have to be savvy about how to delegate the remaining space.
“We’re just taking it day by day. … I was telling Jon not too long ago, I’ve got everything that I’ve ever needed and wanted,” Watson said. “I’ve got more money than I ever thought that I would ever make. So I’m not one of those guys who’s only playing basketball for the money. I’ve always played it for the enjoyment and the love of the game. And it’s put me in a position where I’m gonna have the opportunity to make some money here in this league. But I’m young. I’ve got a lot of time. I know that I’ll make a lot of money in this game.
“For me, it’s more so about doing things the right way, having an organization that embraces me as a player and the person that I am, and I think Denver does that. So I’m happy with where we are as far as (extension talks are) going.”
If a 2022 draft pick doesn’t sign an extension by the last day of this offseason, he’ll be faced with restricted free agency next summer — a structure that limits the player’s autonomy in free agency and favors the incumbent team.
Finances aside, though, both Braun and Watson indicated Monday that their preference would be to remain with Denver.
“I don’t want to be anywhere besides being a Denver Nugget. I think everybody knows that,” Braun said. “I think I owe it to these guys, I owe it to the team, to the city, to continue to just approach the game the way I’ve always approached it.”
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