The Denver Nuggets and Christian Braun waited until the waning moments to agree on a contract extension to keep the young guard in the Mile High City, but they struck a five-year, $125 million contract extension with the young guard on Monday afternoon.

Braun is now under contract with the Nuggets through the end of the 2031 season, the longest out of any player currently on the roster. There are only two other players who come close to that, as Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon are under contract through 2029.

At Nuggets practice on Tuesday, Braun expressed his appreciation for the organization and the city of Denver, and emphasized how much he wants to be here and compete for championships alongside Murray, Gordon and Nikola Jokic.

“It means the world to me. I think that it’s just validation… I got drafted here. I never changed schools or teams in high school. I never changed in college. And I don’t want to change in the NBA, I want to be here. I want to be a big part of winning. I want to be a really big part of what happens here and the success that happens in Denver, you know. I want to be a big part of the community… It’s really cool to be to be a Nugget. I want to be a Nugget my whole career,” Braun said.

He spoke so much about how he loves competing here and being here, and emphasized in that statement that it’s not just on the court, but off the court in the broader Denver community as well. The 24-year-old from Kansas has become a fan favorite throughout his first three years here, and now the fanbase will get to enjoy his presence and hard work on the court even more.

“There’s no real way for me to repay anybody for this other than winning and playing the right way and doing the right thing. So I’m excited to get to work,” Braun said.

WITH CHRISTIAN BRAUN SIGNED, NUGGETS HAVE CORE LOCKED UP THROUGH 2028

Braun’s extension was massive for the long-term security of the Nuggets. They now have the core four of Jokic, Murray, Gordon and Braun all signed through the 2028 season, and if Jokic signs his looming extension next year, that means that everyone would be good to go through 2029. The trio of Jokic, Murray and Gordon have shown that they’re one of the deadliest in the NBA when healthy, and with Braun bursting onto the scene last year, his play will only make the group more dangerous as he continues to grow and mature as an NBA player.

“I think that having this core together is really important,” Braun said. “I think that there’s no limit for this team. Really excited for what we’re going to do, what we can do. I’m excited to focus on basketball, focus on winning, and I get to watch a little basketball tonight too. So I’m just excited, man, I was through the roof when it happened, and I’m just excited to be here.”

‘WE’RE JUST EXCITED TO GET TO PLAY’

The vibes are high in Denver right now. This team made all the right moves this offseason to get back into the fold for competing for a championship, and after two seasons in which they bowed out of the playoffs early because Jokic didn’t have enough help alongside of him, the fans are ready to see the deepest team of the Jokic era take the floor.

The team had a solid preseason, as they finished 3-2, and the starting five seemed to have Cam Johnson integrate seamlessly. There were multiple games in which that unit dominated in the minutes they played, a good sign for fans wanting to get the season underway.

“I think everybody around this time of year is excited for the season. I think you can see in practice today, we just want to play somebody else. We played a little preseason, but that’s preseason. We want to bump into somebody else, not bump into each other anymore. So I think we’re just excited to get to play,” Braun said.

It was all good things coming out of Braun’s mouth on Tuesday. He seemed to be ecstatic that basketball is back and that he gets to stay in Denver for the long run (and he also just got paid $125 million, who wouldn’t be happy?). The Nuggets start their season on Thursday night when they hit the road to take on the Golden State Warriors. That game tips off at 8:00 p.m. MDT and will be televised on ESPN.