Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:<\/p>\n
NBA Insider<\/p>\n
After Nikola Jokic decided against signing a contract extension last week, it became Christian Braun and Peyton Watson\u2019s turn at the negotiating table.<\/p>\n
The two wings became eligible for extensions on their rookie contracts over the weekend. Given their draft slots, Braun is due $4.9 million next season, while Watson will make $4.4 million before any extension kicks in. Rookie-scale extensions can add up to five years to a contract.<\/p>\n
If there is no agreement on an extension, Braun and Watson will enter restricted free agency next season. That means other teams can offer them contracts, but the Nuggets will have the opportunity to match the offer before losing the players drafted in 2022.<\/p>\n
Denver\u2019s financial outlook got a little easier to navigate after the Michael Porter Jr. trade, but things will get complicated again if Christian Braun signs an extension in line with some of his peers. Orlando guard Jalen Suggs got $150 million over five years last summer. New Orleans just gave Herb Jones a three-year extension worth $68 million. After proving himself as a starting-caliber wing on a contending team and seamlessly fitting next to Nikola Jokic, expect Braun to net something in the $25 million-per-year range.<\/p>\n
Watson\u2019s case is more complicated. He\u2019s still just 22 years old and put his potential on display at different times over his first three NBA seasons, but the Nuggets might grapple with paying for promise if it\u2019s all about winning now. The Nuggets have come to regret giving Zeke Nnaji a four-year extension worth $32 million a couple of summers ago. Watson would be right to want more, but the Nuggets might want to be more cautious, especially if it takes a bit more to get Braun\u2019s signature. He said he\u2019s prioritizing getting his body right this offseason, after a knee injury slowed him last season, and making the most of his fourth NBA season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it impeded my momentum. \u2026 I definitely am working to get stronger, stay more durable and definitely just shoot the living daylights out of the ball,\u201d Watson told Altitude. \u201cThat\u2019s all I\u2019m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both guys spent some time around the coaches and executives at Summer League in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic won’t sign contract extension this summer<\/a><\/p>\n What I\u2019m Thinking<\/p>\n The Nuggets won\u2019t be Summer League champions after an 0-2 start, but there\u2019s still meaningful hoops to be played in Las Vegas. Here\u2019s what we\u2019ve learned so far and what questions remain over the remainder of Denver\u2019s trip to the desert.<\/p>\n 1. DaRon Holmes II 3-point shot looks real. Through two games, the big man is 5 for 10 from 3-point range. He hasn\u2019t second-guessed his shot as one of Denver\u2019s featured players, but it\u2019s hard to draw many other conclusions. After five of his six attempts in Saturday\u2019s loss to Minnesota came from deep, he\u2019s taken more than half of his shots from outside the arc. A little more aggression inside the arc would be welcome when Denver plays its third Summer League game on Tuesday.<\/p>\n 2. Hunter Tyson\u2019s playing hard and aggressively, but the lack of efficient scoring his concerning for a player heading into his third NBA season. Tyson\u2019s be a Summer League standout before, but that hasn\u2019t been the case so far. He went 4 for 14 against Milwaukee, including a 1-for-6 mark from 3, and 5 for 14 against Minnesota. The 18 rebounds Tyson has grabbed through two games show he\u2019s engaged, but seeing some shots fall is the best thing that can happen for Tyson the rest of the trip.<\/p>\n 3. The Nuggets have one two-way roster spot remaining, and none of the players vying for that spot have made much of a case to start Summer League. Tyrell Harrison has been efficient inside but has failed to convert some easy opportunities. Reece Beekman took a step forward running the offense with 10 assists against two turnovers on Saturday, but he\u2019s 3 of 10 from the field through two games. Curtis Jones and E.J. Liddell have had moments but lacked consistency with three games left to make a statement.<\/p>\n \n Your daily report on everything sports in Colorado – covering the Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and columns from Woody Paige and Paul Klee.\n <\/p>\n Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Denver Nuggets officially acquire Jonas Valanciunas from Sacramento Kings<\/a><\/p>\n What They\u2019re Saying<\/p>\n The Altitude broadcast caught up with Cam Johnson at Summer League. He talked about his excitement to be back in a winning organization after being traded from Brooklyn, how his skillset can help the Nuggets take another step next season and playing alongside Nikola Jokic.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like a dream come true. Playing against him a lot when I was in the Western Conference and my whole career, the things he\u2019s able to do \u2026 he just sees the court, sees every aspect of the court,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cFor me as a shooter, all I know is if I\u2019m in the right spot, he\u2019ll find me.\u201d<\/p>\n The 29-year-old averaged 8.5 points and shot 43.5% from 3-point range in the 2021 NBA Finals as a member of the Suns, but played in just one playoff series the last three years with the Nets.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to win,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI try to be in the right spots every time, make the right play. \u2026 There\u2019s going to be a lot of open shots out there, and we\u2019re going to generate them for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n