For weeks, rumors have swirled about a potential roster shakeup in Denver after the Nuggets’ early playoff exit. But the name at the center of the trade chatter might surprise you.
It’s not Aaron Gordon. And it’s not Jamal Murray, fresh off his first All-Star appearance. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Denver’s front office is quietly shopping Christian Braun — and the reason has everything to do with flexibility, not talent.
Braun, 25, was a key contributor during the Nuggets’ championship run in 2022-23, but his third season was a step back. Limited to 44 games by a sprained ankle, he averaged 12.8 points and 4.7 rebounds — solid numbers, but not the leap the team hoped for. League sources tell Stein that Denver sees moving Braun as the cleanest path to reshaping the roster without dismantling the core around Nikola Jokic.
The Nuggets have not confirmed any trade discussions, and the team’s front office has remained publicly tight-lipped. But Stein reports that Gordon, who turns 31 in September and is entering the first year of a three-year, $103.6 million extension, is drawing the most external interest. Several teams have called about the versatile forward, who was limited to 36 games this season by a hamstring strain and averaged 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds.
Denver, however, is reluctant to part with Gordon. The team values his two-way presence and championship experience. Trading him would signal a deeper rebuild than the franchise wants to admit.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets are also determined to re-sign 23-year-old Peyton Watson, whose breakout campaign featured career-highs of 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists across 54 games. Watson also missed time with a hamstring strain, but his upside has made him a priority. Stein notes that while Denver prefers to keep Watson, the team hasn’t ruled out including him in a deal if it yields future assets or salary cap relief.
The underlying tension is clear: the Nuggets have one of the league’s most expensive cores, with Jokic, Murray, Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. all on max or near-max deals. Adding depth around them has become a challenge under the new collective bargaining agreement. Braun’s rookie-scale contract makes him a more movable piece than the veterans, but the team has to be careful not to subtract from the defensive identity that carried them to a title.
For now, Denver is in a holding pattern. Stein’s reporting suggests the front office is exploring multiple paths — but the only absolute is Jokic. Everyone else, apparently, has a price.
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