DENVER (KDVR) — There will be people on both sides of the fence when it comes to determining how well the Denver Nuggets performed in the playoffs this season.
Some will say that a team with championship aspirations underperformed by getting knocked out in the second round, while others might say the team showed great resilience and took the team heavily favored to be this year’s champion to seven games with a depleted roster.
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Whatever side of the fence people sit on, next season might look very similar as the Nuggets sit in what could be referred to as limbo for this offseason.
As it stands, the Nuggets are tied down to a few hefty contracts, which puts them into a limited playing field under the rules of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. If the team is able to create some wiggle room, at the moment, it must be done without the influence of a full-time general manager after Calvin Booth’s late-season firing.
The good news that can double as bad
For those who are firm believers in the Nuggets’ current starting five, it will come as good news that all of those players are currently tied down to a contract or have extensions that will keep them in Denver for the near future.
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However, if there was any hesitation on whether or not that core of players is what the franchise wants to stick with, then the team doesn’t really have a choice and has to go with them anyway.
The Nuggets are expected to have a $203.5 million salary, which will be a top-five combined salary in the NBA next season and places restrictions on what the team is allowed to do.
Nikola Jokic
2025-26 salary: $55,224,526
Guaranteed salary: $114,257,640 through 2026-27
$62,841,702 player option for 2027-28
Jamal Murray
2025-26 salary: $50,422,680
Guaranteed salary: $225,893,604 through 2028-29
Michael Porter Jr.
2025-26 salary: $38,333,050
Guaranteed salary: $79,139,200 through 2026-27
Aaron Gordon
2025-26 salary: $22,841,455
Guaranteed salary: $89,355,772 through 2027-28
$37,094,523 player option for 2027-28
Zeke Nnaji
2025-26 salary: $8,177,778
$7,446,667 player option for 2027-28
Dario Saric
$5,426,400 player option for 2025-2026
Christian Braun
2025-26 salary: $4,921,797
Extension eligible through opening night
Peyton Watson
2025-26 salary: $4,356,476
Extension eligible through opening night
Russell Westbrook
$3,468,960 player option for 2025-26
DaRon Holmes
2025-26 salary: $3,218,760
$3,372,120 team option for 2026-27
$5,547,138 team option for 2027-28
Julian Strawther
2025-26 salary: $2,674,200
$4,826,931 team option for 2026-27
Jalen Pickett
2025-26 salary: $2,221,677
$2,406,205 team option for 2026-27
Hunter Tyson
2025-26 salary: $2,221,677
$2,406,205 team option for 2026-27
The aprons
The Nuggets’ salary cap threshold already places the team well over the first apron next season, and in danger of flirting with the second apron.
Aprons trigger restrictions on team interactions if they surpass a certain percentage of the salary cap.
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First apron
If teams are in violation of the first apron, according to BETMGM, these penalties are administered.
Teams can only acquire sign-and-trade players if they move them below the apron.
Teams that execute a trade must match salaries within 110% of the outgoing obligation. Compare this to teams in good standing, which have a broader match window at 125%.
Teams cannot sign any players waived during the regular season if their salary is greater than the midlevel exception.
Second apron
If teams are in violation of the second apron, according to BETMGM, these penalties are administered.
Teams do not have access to the taxpayer midlevel exception.
Teams cannot use trade exceptions created when combining the salaries of multiple players.
Teams cannot use trade exceptions from any prior year.
Teams lose the ability to trade first-round picks that are seven years in the future.
If teams remain in the second apron for any three years in a five-year period, their upcoming first-round draft pick is automatically moved to the end of the first round.
How can the Nuggets maximize value?
If the Nuggets can shed a little salary and remain under the second apron, the team can use the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception to sign prospective players to a two-year contract with a maximum salary of the projected $5.7 million for the 2025-26 season, according to ESPN.
The Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception is a great way to add veterans of the league to a roster.
Possible extensions
There are several players on the Nuggets’ roster who proved valuable this season, and the executives will be contemplating their extension.
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Christian Braun
The easiest pick of the bunch, Braun had a breakout season and became a pillar for the team. The third-year guard/forward averaged 15.4 points, 2.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals and shot a scorching 58.0% from the field and 39.7% from three, while handling the opposing team’s best perimeter player on a nightly basis.
Peyton Watson
A bit more unproven than Braun, Watson still showed flashes this season, particularly on the defensive end. Despite standing only 6’7″, he averaged 1.5 blocks per game and kept teams honest, shooting 35.3% from three. Watson is still young at 22 and could develop into a bigger piece for this Nuggets team
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Russell Westbrook
This one is less up to the franchise, as Westbrook holds the power in negotiations. The future Hall of Famer had a redemption year after facing criticism during his stints in Los Angeles with the Lakers and the Clippers. He averaged an energetic 13.3 points, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game last season, numbers that might have the Nuggets’ front office ring his line and convince him to stay this summer.
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It’s possible that the Nuggets team for the 2025-26 NBA season is the very same one that fans watched this year. The franchise will have to be clever in its dealings, but before any of that can take place, the organization must instate a general manager to help shape the vision of recently named head coach David Adelman.
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As it stands, Ben Tenzer is the team’s interim general manager.
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