Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun has reached a five-year, $125 million rookie contract extension with the franchise, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball said Monday.
Braun, selected 21st overall in the 2022 NBA draft, has developed into a key piece for Denver. Top team executives Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace made securing the new deal a priority to keep the 23-year-old guard in the club’s long-term core.
After moving into the starting lineup last season, Braun averaged 15.4 points—up from 7.3 the year before—along with 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 39.7% from three-point range. He appeared in 79 games, starting 77. According to ESPN Research, he was one of only five players to post at least 15 points and five rebounds per game while hitting 58% from the field, and he was the only non-center in that group.
Braun’s speed has been especially valuable in transition; he led the NBA in total fast-break points last season and became the first player to surpass 400 fast-break points in a season since Buddy Hield in 2018-19.
The Kansas product is expected to continue complementing two-time MVP Nikola Jokić, guard Jamal Murray, forward Aaron Gordon and offseason addition Cameron Johnson.
Sources added that Denver is not expected to finalize a rookie extension with forward Peyton Watson, the No. 30 pick in the 2022 draft, before Monday’s deadline.
Source: ESPN
