The Denver Nuggets are preparing for the 2025-26 campaign with a retooled roster after their Western Conference semifinals loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Following their second straight second-round playoff exit, the Nuggets traded Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Cameron Johnson. Denver also traded for Jonas Valanciunas to bolster its bench and signed Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown in free agency.
Brown is set to reunite with the Nuggets after playing for three teams in the past two seasons. The 2018 second-round pick was a key contributor in Denver’s 2023 title run before joining the Indiana Pacers that offseason. However, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors in January 2024 before being sent to the New Orleans Pelicans ahead of the 2024-25 trade deadline.
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Bruce Brown admits Nuggets have been on his mind
Following a hectic two-year span, Brown rejoined the Nuggets on a veteran’s minimum contract. He’ll look to provide a spark off the bench for the contending team, which he’s apparently been looking to do for quite some time, according to NBA insider Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
“So, as soon as I got to Toronto, I thought about coming back to Denver right away,” he said. “Fast forward to getting traded to New Orleans. Another tough spot. A lot of injuries there. And the whole time I was in New Orleans, I was thinking about the Nuggets.”
Brown appeared in 80 regular-season games for Denver in the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals across a career-high 28.5 minutes per contest. Now, he’ll look to bounce back from a 2024-25 season in which he played in just 41 regular-season games due to a lingering right knee injury.
The 29-year-old is expected to be available when the regular season tips off, and the swingman may even see some playing time at point guard behind Jamal Murray, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.
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