Nuggets Notes: Braun, Watson, Valanciunas, Jokic
It went down to the wire but Christian Braun was able to work out a rookie scale extension with the Nuggets. Braun signed a five-year deal worth $125MM and expressed relief on Tuesday, as The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando relays.
“It is a little stressful,” Braun said. “Like I said, I don’t like the negotiations just because you feel like you’re against people you love and people you care about. But I’m just really excited for the way it went down and just really happy that it’s over with.”
The process of working out a long-term agreement that he and his reps and the team were comfortable with made it a difficult exercise.
“Negotiations are kind of maybe not my thing,” he said. “Kind of felt like you’re kind of against them for a little bit. But I think it worked out really, really well. I was really, really happy with the outcome. I’m very grateful for everybody involved.”
We have more on the Nuggets:
- There was mutual interest between the team and Peyton Watson regarding a rookie scale extension but those negotiations were complicated by the Nuggets’ desire to get Braun signed, Durando reports. Getting Braun under a long-term deal was seen as a higher priority due to the restrictions of the second tax apron. As Durando notes, if the Nuggets had also signed Watson for more than $7MM annually, they would have been projected as a second-apron team for 2026/27 with three more roster spots to eventually fill.
- Speaking of Watson, the coaching staff is intent on increasing his ball-handling responsibilities and he’s grateful for their belief in him, Durando writes. “Our coaching staff has really put a lot of trust and belief in me this entire preseason, training camp,” Watson said, “to go out there and kind of play more like myself and have the ball in my hands. Make decisions. So I’ve been able to work on a lot of things just in live-action games against really, really talented players. I think that’s always good for confidence. It’s always good for my sharpness. And I feel great.”
- The Nuggets have struggled to find a productive backup to Nikola Jokic at center ever since Jokic exploded onto the national landscape. Can Jonas Valanciunas finally solve the problem? Durando looks back at Jokic’s previous backups, detailing year-by-year the dropoff that occurred when the superstar center wasn’t on the floor.
- The leading members of the team’s revamped front office want to keep Jokic happy. Keeping the three-time MVP in the loop is one of the ways they’re trying to ensure that he remains with the franchise for the long haul. “It would be crazy to not listen to his advice and his input, just because he’s so important to the organization,” executive VP of basketball operations Ben Tenzer told The Athletic’s Sam Amick. “But also, he sees (the game) a different way than we see it and how our scouts see it. He’s a brilliant basketball mind. So yeah, we have to ask him how he feels about things in general. And sometimes he’ll have opinions, sometimes he won’t. But it’s always good to just connect with him. That’s just a sign of respect.”
Grizzlies Exercise 2026/27 Option On Zach Edey
The Grizzlies have exercised their 2026/27 option on Zach Edey‘s contract, the team’s PR department tweets. The cap hit on Edey’s third season in the league will be $6,332,760.
[RELATED: Decisions On 2026/27 Rookie Scale Team Options]
Memphis had until the end of the month to exercise that option but it was foregone conclusion that would happen. Edey was the ninth pick of last year’s draft and started a majority of the team’s games. He appeared in 66 overall (55 starts) and averaged 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.o assists and 1.3 blocks in 21.5 minutes per contest.
The two-time National College Player of the Year at Purdue was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Edey underwent ankle surgery in June and is still several weeks away from returning to action.
Pacers Exercise 2026/27 Options On Walker, Sheppard
The Pacers have exercised their 2026/27 options on the contracts of Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard, according to a team press release.
Walker’s fourth-year option carries a cap hit of $8,478,542, while Sheppard’s cap hit on his fourth year will be $5,031,669. Walker was the eighth pick of the 2023 draft, while Sheppard was chosen at No. 26.
The team had until the end of the month to exercise those options.
Walker appeared in 75 regular season games last season (five starts) and averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15.8 minutes. Sheppard appeared in 63 games (nine starts) and averaged 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.5 minutes per game. He also appeared in 21 postseason contests.
Both players are expected to be key bench contributors once again this season.
Raptors Pick Up 2026/27 Options On Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter
The Raptors have exercised their 2026/27 options on the contracts of Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter, according to a team press release.
Dick’s fourth-year option will carry a cap hit of $7,131,511, while Walter’s third-year option will carry a cap hit of $3,811,800. The team had until the end of the month to exercise those options.
Dick started 54 games last season, averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 29.4 minutes per night. He was the 13th pick of the 2023 draft.
Walter, who won’t play in the team’s opener due to an illness, averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.2 minutes per game while appearing in 52 contests during his rookie season. He was the 19th overall pick in 2024.
With the addition of Brandon Ingram, Dick will likely come off the bench this season. Dick and Walter will have to fight hard for their rotation minutes.
Christian Braun Signs Five-Year Extension With Nuggets
4:35 pm: Braun has officially signed his five-year extension, the Nuggets announced (via Twitter).
1:35 pm: The Nuggets and guard Christian Braun have agreed to a five-year, $125MM rookie scale extension, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). There are no team or player options in the agreement, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets.
Earlier on Monday, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto indicated there was cautious optimism between the two parties than an extension agreement would be worked out. The new deal will begin in 2026/27.
After being an important member of the team’s bench unit during his first two years in Denver, Braun moved into the starting lineup last season following the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. The 21st pick of the 2022 draft posted career-high numbers across the board, averaging 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 79 games with .580/.397/.827 shooting splits.
Braun is the eighth player in his draft class to sign or agree to a rookie scale extension, joining Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr., Keegan Murray, Nikola Jovic and Shaedon Sharpe.
The numbers that Braun and his agent Bill Duffy agreed to fall in the range of Smith’s agreement of five years and $122MM.
With this agreement, Denver has now committed to four of its starters through at least the 2027/28 season. Braun joins superstar Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray, though Jokic has a player option on his contract for ’27/28.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Nuggets also now have more than $193MM committed to six players for the 2026/27 season. The cap for next season projects to be $166MM, with a tax line of $201MM and aprons in the neighborhood of $210MM and $223MM.
Hawks Sign Dyson Daniels To Four-Year, $100MM Extension
4:04 pm: Daniels’ extension is now official, the Hawks announced in a press release.
“We are beyond thrilled to reach a long-term deal with Dyson, and we are excited to watch him continue to grow with our group,” said general manager Onsi Saleh. “This extension reflects our belief in him today and into the future.”
2:16 pm: The Hawks and guard Dyson Daniels have agreed to a four-year, $100MM rookie scale extension, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). There are no team or player options on the contract, The Athletic’s Fred Katz tweets.
Daniels spent his first two seasons with New Orleans after being selected with the eighth pick in the 2022 draft. His career blossomed after he was traded to Atlanta in the Dejounte Murray blockbuster prior to last season. Daniels became a fixture in the Hawks’ lineup and established himself as one of the premier perimeter defenders in the league.
Daniels captured the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award and was runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. He also made first team All-Defense and racked up 229 steals, the most in a single season by any player since Gary Payton in 1995/96.
Daniels posted averages of 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.0 steals in 33.8 minutes per game while making 76 starts. He also shot a career-best 49.3% overall and 34.1% on three-point attempts.
Daniels is the ninth player in his draft class to sign or agree to a rookie scale extension that will begin in 2026/27, joining Christian Braun, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr., Keegan Murray, Nikola Jovic and Shaedon Sharpe.
Like Braun, Daniels will get an average annual value of $25MM on his new deal, though Braun’s new contract with Denver includes a fifth year.
Daniels and Trae Young meshed well in Atlanta’s backcourt but it’s uncertain how long that pairing will last. Young holds a $48.97MM player option on his contract for 2026/27 and could become a free agent next summer. He and the Hawks aren’t expected to reach an extension at this time.
Nets Notes: Coley, Higgins, Wolf, Rookie Point Guards
The Nets have hired Josh Coley and Cory Higgins as scouts, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (Twitter link).
Coley was recently the athletic director and head coach of Christ School in Asheville, North Carolina. Higgins played for the Charlotte Bobcats for two seasons and also had stints with EuroLeague powerhouses CSKA Moscow and Barcelona.
We have more on the Nets:
- Danny Wolf‘s cerebral approach to the game can both be an asset and a weakness. The New York Daily News’ C.J. Holmes interviewed Michigan head coach Dusty May and Wolf’s mother, among others, regarding Wolf’s mental approach. Wolf, one of a handful of Brooklyn first-round picks, transferred from Yale to play for the Wolverines last season. “Because of his intelligence, he was able to fix things that needed to be fixed, and just his growth throughout the year, when you look at where he was in November to where he was in March, it was a tribute to his work,” May said.
- In a separate story, Holmes notes that the head coach Jordi Fernandez and his staff are taking on a bold experiment, trying to develop five rookies at once. That will be the litmus test for the coaches.
- Among that group, which first-year player will be the primary point guard and who will run the second unit? Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf are the candidates, but Fernandez has yet to tip his hand, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes. The latter two split the starting duties in the team’s four preseason games while Demin worked his way back from a plantar fascia tear. “I’m very happy with all three,” Fernández said. “All three have played in preseason, all three have done good things, and all three have things to work on. If they can take advantage of their minutes, they’re going to survive with their roles, whether they are starting or at backup. If somebody cannot sustain production or what we’re asking [from them], then [it will create an] opportunity for another one, and that’s why I want that healthy competition to work on our team, where they’re all pushing each other and they all have minutes and experience and they can grow.”
Pacers Rookie Kam Jones Arrested For Alleged Erratic Driving
Pacers rookie Kam Jones was arrested after a brief chase on Interstate 65 in Indianapolis on Monday morning, according to Mike Potter of WTHR-13News.
According to Indiana State Police, a trooper tried to pull over Jones for allegedly driving erratically on southbound I-65. Police say Jones did not pull over at first and led them on a brief chase that ended near the Fletcher Avenue exit near Fountain Square in Indianapolis. As of Monday afternoon, Jones was being held in the Marion County jail on preliminary charges of reckless driving and resisting law enforcement.
The Pacers issued this statement: “We are aware of the situation involving Kam Jones. We are in the process of gathering additional information and will not have any additional comment on the matter at this time.”
Jones was drafted with the No. 38 overall pick in June and signed a standard contract in July. He missed most of training camp due to a back injury and is expected to be reevaluated sometime next month.
A 6’5″ combo guard, Jones spent his entire four-year college career at Marquette, where he was a consensus second-team All-American and a member of the All-Big East first team in 2025 after averaging 19.2 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.5 rebounds in 33.8 minutes per game across 34 outings as a senior.
Coby White Out At Least Two Weeks Due To Calf Strain
Bulls guard Coby White will miss at least two weeks of action due to a calf strain, the team’s PR department tweets.
“Coby White has resumed on-court basketball activities and continues to make progress in his ramp up phase for a right calf strain,” the Bulls said in a statement. “White will be reevaluated in two weeks.”
The Bulls open their season on Wednesday with a home game against the Pistons. They’ll also play at least five more games within the next two weeks.
Whilte has been battling a calf strain since August and didn’t play in any preseason games this fall, though he “looked good” after going through most of the contact portions of Saturday’s practice, according to head coach Billy Donovan. Donovan added at that time that White would go through additional contact work on Monday after taking Sunday off.
White hinted on Saturday that he might miss the season opener, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets. The announcement on Monday suggests to club wants White to be fully healthy when he returns so there are no setbacks.
White is headed to unrestricted free agency next summer. He’s reportedly informed the Bulls that he doesn’t plan on signing an extension this season due to limitations on what they can offer him.
White averaged a career-best 20.4 points, 4.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game last season.
Raptors Bring Back A.J. Lawson On Two-Way Contract
7:05 pm: Lawson has officially rejoined the Raptors on a two-way contract, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
9:10 am: The Raptors are re-signing guard A.J. Lawson on a two-way deal, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto tweets.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca first reported that the Raptors were expected to bring back Lawson on a two-way contract.
Lawson was on the team’s camp roster but was cut on Thursday and will clear waivers later today. The team didn’t have the ability to convert him directly to a two-way contract because he hadn’t been on an Exhibit 10 deal.
Lawson, 25, is a Toronto native who holds three years of NBA experience. He signed a two-way deal with his hometown team last December and was promoted to a multiyear standard deal in April, just before the season ended. However, Lawson’s salary for 2025/26 was non-guaranteed and the Raptors opted for financial flexibility due to their current cap/tax situation.
In 26 games with the Raptors last season, Lawson averaged 9.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per contest on .421/.327/.683 shooting. He has also played for Dallas and Minnesota.
Toronto has a two-way opening, so a corresponding move won’t be necessary. The Raptors currently have 14 players on guaranteed contracts on their standard roster and will likely remain one below the maximum entering the season.