Bruce Brown should be one of the NBA’s top free agents. But he might not be going anywhere.
At the Denver Nuggets victory parade, Brown had a question for the throngs of Nuggets fans. “One more year?”
Brown was an invaluable part of the Nuggets’ dominating run to their first NBA title. Denver’s sixth man averaged a career-high 11.5 points in 28.5 minutes per game, and he often closed games in the playoffs due to his reliable defense.
He had a huge Game 4, scoring 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, pouring in 11 points in the fourth quarter while Nikola Jokic sat with foul trouble.
Having proved himself as a playoff performer and established himself as a legitimate three-point threat — he made 91 threes on 35.8 shooting after his previous career-high was 38 — Brown was looking at a big raise off this year’s $6.5 million salary. But head coach Michael Malone said he’s not going anywhere. (Be aware Malone uses salty language.)
“Is Brucey B going anywhere?” a hoarse-voiced Malone asked the crowd. “Hell no,” he answered. “Hellllll no. We’re running this s—- back. We’re running this s—- back.“
The Nuggets are limited to offering Brown a starting salary of $7.8 million since he has been on the team for only a year. But if he signs such a deal — likely with a player option — Denver could then give him a deal starting at $13.6 million next summer.
That possibility might be enough for Brown to risk a possible long-term payday now to, well, run it back with the Nuggets next year. After all, Brown said his summer plans were to “learn to ride a horse, drink a lot of Jameson and gingers, play a lot of golf and be with my dog.”
Denver is a great place for horses, golf and dogs. And after winning the city its first championship, Brown will never have to pay for a Jameson and ginger in Denver for the rest of his life.
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