Five years and $125 million! Braun reaches a contract extension agreement with the Nuggets to help Jokic reach the championship again

On October 21, according to Shams, the Nuggets and Braun have reached a five-year rookie contract extension agreement worth $125 million.

Braun is the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. His growth is a major discovery by the Nuggets management. Nuggets executives Ben Tanzer and Jon Wallace have made it a priority to negotiate a new long-term contract with Braun in order to lock him in as a member of the team's future core lineup. Last season, Braun became a full-time starter, and his scoring average increased from 7.3 points in the previous season (2023-24 season) to 15.4 points; in 79 games (77 starts), he also contributed 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and a three-point shooting rate of 39.7%. There are only five players in the league who can average at least 15 points and 5 rebounds per game and shoot more than 58% from the field. Braun is the only non-center player among them.

As a shooting guard, Braun's growth is crucial to the team. He needs to provide support for perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokic, star guard Jamal Murray, core forward Aaron Gordon and new player Cameron Johnson. According to ESPN data, especially in transition offenses, Braun provided important offensive firepower for the Nuggets. Last season, his total fast break points ranked first in the league. He also became the first player since Buddy Hield in the 2018-19 season to score more than 400 fast break points in a single season.

At the same time, there is news that the Nuggets are not expected to reach a rookie contract extension agreement with Payton Watson before today's deadline. Watson is the player selected by the Nuggets with the 30th overall pick in the 2022 draft.

Braun is the eighth player in the same draft to sign or agree to sign a rookie standard extension contract. The first seven players are Paul Banqueiro, Jaylen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr., Keegan Murray, Nikola Jovic and Shedden Sharp. The contract amount finalized by Braun and his agent, Bill Duffy, is in the same range as Smith's five-year, $122 million contract.

With the conclusion of this agreement, the Nuggets have now locked the contracts of four starting players until at least the 2027-28 season. In addition to Braun, they also include superstars Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray. However, Jokic has a player option in his contract for the 2027-28 season.