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DENVER (KDVR) \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s champion to seven games with a depleted roster.<\/p>\n
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DIA ground stop lifted; over 1K flights delayed, dozens cancelled during Memorial Day weekend <\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019s late-season firing.<\/p>\n The good news that can double as bad<\/p>\n For those who are firm believers in the Nuggets\u2019 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.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n 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\u2019t really have a choice and has to go with them anyway.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Nikola Jokic<\/p>\n 2025-26 salary: $55,224,526<\/p>\n Guaranteed salary: $114,257,640 through 2026-27<\/p>\n $62,841,702 player option for 2027-28<\/p>\n Jamal Murray<\/p>\n 2025-26 salary: $50,422,680<\/p>\n Guaranteed salary: $225,893,604 through 2028-29<\/p>\n Michael Porter Jr.<\/p>\n 2025-26 salary: $38,333,050<\/p>\n Guaranteed salary: $79,139,200 through 2026-27<\/p>\n Aaron Gordon<\/p>\n 2025-26 salary: $22,841,455<\/p>\n Guaranteed salary: $89,355,772 through 2027-28<\/p>\n $37,094,523 player option for 2027-28<\/p>\n Zeke Nnaji<\/p>\n 2025-26 salary: $8,177,778<\/p>\n $7,446,667 player option for 2027-28<\/p>\n Dario Saric<\/p>\n $5,426,400 player option for 2025-2026<\/p>\n Christian Braun<\/p>\n 2025-26 salary: $4,921,797<\/p>\n Extension eligible through opening night<\/p>\n Peyton Watson<\/p>\n 2025-26 salary: $4,356,476<\/p>\n Extension eligible through opening night<\/p>\n Russell Westbrook<\/p>\n $3,468,960 player option for 2025-26<\/p>\n DaRon Holmes<\/p>\n 2025-26 salary: $3,218,760<\/p>\n $3,372,120 team option for 2026-27<\/p>\n $5,547,138 team option for 2027-28<\/p>\n Julian Strawther<\/p>\n 2025-26 salary: $2,674,200<\/p>\n $4,826,931 team option for 2026-27<\/p>\n Jalen Pickett<\/p>\n 2025-26 salary: $2,221,677<\/p>\n $2,406,205 team option for 2026-27<\/p>\n Hunter Tyson<\/p>\n 2025-26 salary: $2,221,677<\/p>\n $2,406,205 team option for 2026-27<\/p>\n The aprons<\/p>\n The Nuggets\u2019 salary cap threshold already places the team well over the first apron next season, and in danger of flirting with the second apron.<\/p>\n Aprons trigger restrictions on team interactions if they surpass a certain percentage of the salary cap.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n First apron<\/p>\n If teams are in violation of the first apron, according to BETMGM,<\/a> these penalties are administered.<\/p>\n Teams can only acquire sign-and-trade players if they move them below the apron.<\/p>\n 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%.<\/p>\n Teams cannot sign any players waived during the regular season if their salary is greater than the midlevel exception.<\/p>\n Second apron<\/p>\n If teams are in violation of the second apron, according to BETMGM, these penalties are administered.<\/p>\n Teams do not have access to the taxpayer midlevel exception.<\/p>\n Teams cannot use trade exceptions created when combining the salaries of multiple players.<\/p>\n Teams cannot use trade exceptions from any prior year.<\/p>\n Teams lose the ability to trade first-round picks that are seven years in the future.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n How can the Nuggets maximize value?<\/p>\n 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.<\/a><\/p>\n The Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception is a great way to add veterans of the league to a roster.<\/p>\n Possible extensions<\/p>\n There are several players on the Nuggets\u2019 roster who proved valuable this season, and the executives will be contemplating their extension.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Christian Braun<\/p>\n 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\u2019s best perimeter player on a nightly basis.<\/p>\n Peyton Watson<\/p>\n A bit more unproven than Braun, Watson still showed flashes this season, particularly on the defensive end. Despite standing only 6\u20197\u2033, 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<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Russell Westbrook<\/p>\n 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\u2019 front office ring his line and convince him to stay this summer.<\/p>\n Bandimere is aiming to open a new drag strip in Weld County <\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s 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.<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n As it stands, Ben Tenzer is the team\u2019s interim general manager.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n