Bruce Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Williams, Sharpe, Nuggets, Bailey

October 10th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Thunder forward Jalen Williams, who is making his way back from surgery to address a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, still isn’t shooting jumpers with that right hand, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link).

The Thunder have been cagey about Williams’ recovery timeline and haven’t indicated whether or not they expect him to available when their regular season begins later this month. Asked about Williams’ status on Thursday, head coach Mark Daigneault declined to offer any specifics.

“He’s progressing on a normal timeline,” Daigneault said (YouTube link). “… He’s where he should be.”

We have more from around the Northwest:

Amid rumors that he could command a rookie scale extension worth north of $100MM over four years, Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe kicked off the preseason in impressive fashion on Wednesday, scoring 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting and grabbing six rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. “He just looked very under control at all times,” head coach Chauncey Billups said of Sharpe, per Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link). “Got to where he wanted to get to. I thought defensively, he was good. He went in and got some really good rebounds for us. I think Shaedon can be an exceptional rebounder with his physical gifts. He played a good game.”
Nuggets newcomer Cameron Johnson has played a pretty modest offensive role in his first two preseason games with the team, scoring just 13 points on nine total shot attempts. Head coach David Adelman isn’t worried about that, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays. “We’re just getting him comfortable,” Adelman said on Thursday. “And Cam is one of those guys that plays for his teammates sometimes instead of force-feeding himself into the action. … We’ve gotta get him to his right hand more. I haven’t put in pet plays for him yet. But we’ll get there for sure. He’s a really special player in that you can plug and play him in a lot of ways.”
In a separate story for The Denver Post, Durando spoke to some of Bruce Brown‘s former coaches to get a sense of why he and the Nuggets have been such a perfect match for one another. Durando also reports within the story that Brown drew interest this offseason from the Lakers and Suns, among other teams, before agreeing to return to Denver.
The Jazz lost to Houston in their preseason opener on Wednesday, but rookie forward Ace Bailey poured in 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting while also chipping in six rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. Rockets forward Kevin Durant was among those who came away impressed by the No. 5 overall pick, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. “Dynamic player. I think he’s going to be a hell of a player,” Durant said. “I love the coaching staff that he’s with. I love that he got drafted to Utah; they’ve got a good development program over there that I’m looking forward to seeing how he progresses. I’m expecting a big year from him and a big career.”

Raptors Notes: Brown, Ingram, Dick, Walter, Shead

October 7th, 2025 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

A number of fans in Toronto took exception to comments Bruce Brown made about his time with the Raptors ahead of training camp last week. The veteran guard, who is back with the Nuggets after spending the past two seasons with the Pacers, Raptors, and Pelicans, spoke at media day about being part of “a lot of losing basketball” since leaving the Nuggets as a free agent in 2023 and told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he had thought about coming back to Denver “as soon as I got to Toronto.”

Ahead of the Nuggets’ game against the Raptors on Monday, Brown spoke to Kayla Grey of TSN (Twitter link) about those remarks, explaining that they weren’t intended as a shot at Toronto or the Raptors.

“Media day, they asked me, ‘When did you think about getting to Denver’ And I said when I got to Toronto. That wasn’t like I didn’t want to go Toronto,” Brown said. “I went to Indy. I finally chose where I could go, and three months in, they trade me, and I’m like, ‘Why the f–k did I go? I could have stayed in Denver and been happy.’

“I think Toronto’s one of the best cities in the NBA, easily. Like, I loved my time in Toronto. It’s insane. So don’t let people on social media twist my words, because I loved my time in Toronto. But it’s just the beast of it.”

Here are a few more notes on the Raptors:

Scottie Barnes failed to make a field goal and all five Raptors starters had negative net ratings in the team’s preseason opener against Denver on Monday. Still, while the game showed that there’s plenty of room for improvement, Brandon Ingram‘s Raptors debut was an encouraging one, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who notes that the veteran forward looked “perfectly comfortable” generating half-court offense, which is why the team traded for him last season. Ingram had a team-high 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter were the Raptors’ first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, respectively, but their roles for the 2025/26 season aren’t guaranteed. According to Grange, both players are embracing the challenge of having to fight for minutes in Toronto’s rotation. “This is the first time in my life, no doubt, that I’ve had to (battle for minutes),” Walter said on Sunday. “It’s definitely the first time, I’d say, where I haven’t been like the main guy on the team, but you know, I love it. I like the competitiveness. I like the drive I have to have every day.”
Second-year Raptors point guard Jamal Shead has emerged as the leader among the club’s younger players, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic. While Koreen likens Shead’s role to the one Fred VanVleet played on a young second unit during his early years in Toronto, the 23-year-old downplayed his impact. “Honestly, it’s just information. I’m a point guard. I give out information. They take it, they receive it, and then we move on from there,” Shead said. “I don’t think it’s more of them just following me (because) I’m the best leader ever. I think it’s just more of a respect thing.”

Nuggets Notes: Bench Squad, Valanciunas, Jokic, Hardaway

October 4th, 2025 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heading into training camp with a set starting lineup, Nuggets coach David Adelman has been able to focus on figuring out his bench rotation, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson and Jonas Valanciunas have been the main group scrimmaging against the starters, but Adelman said “that second unit will fluctuate” as he rotates in other players.

Brown, a reserve on Denver’s 2023 title team who returned as a free agent this summer, likes the way that group fits together. “I think we can do everything,” he said. “We’ve got shooters. We’ve got defenders.”

Durando notes that the current fivesome is heavy on wings, so Jalen Pickett, DaRon Holmes II, Zeke Nnaji or Hunter Tyson may be added to the mix. Cameron Johnson told Durando that Pickett has been outstanding in camp at running the second and third units.

There’s more on the Nuggets:

Valanciunas, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Sacramento, has been orchestrating the offense for the second team much like Nikola Jokic does with the starters, Durando adds in the same story. Durando suggests that Adelman could decide to surround Valanciunas with four smaller players in a motion-based offense. “This has been good for him to get used to our system a little bit,” Adelman said. “He hasn’t done some of this stuff outside of a couple months in Sacramento, playing off the elbow and the top of the key. … So I have to do him a service. We’ve gotta get to some post-up plays and things that he’s used to.”
Jokic will have the freedom to determine how far he wants to venture away from the rim on defense, Durando states in a separate story. Adelman trusts his veteran center to recognize what level of drop coverage is appropriate based on the opponent. “There’s so many levels of drops,” Adelman said. “He won’t be just at the rim like he’s (Rudy) Gobert. But it’s just looking for maybe a little more of (him defending) down the floor, a couple steps down the floor. And more so, I think what we’re trying to create with him — he’s so high-IQ — is the Marc Gasol model, where he’s choosing his levels depending on the quality of player or what the player does well. We all know his IQ is so high, but we have to work on that and allow him to work on it in practice.”
Hardway said the team’s style of play led him to join the Nuggets in free agency, relays Jared Koch of Sports Illustrated. “Everybody’s moving without the ball nonstop, basically sharing the wealth,” he said. “All you’ve got to do is just make the right play time after time after time again, and great things will happen.”

Nuggets Notes: Braun, Watson, Brown, Defense

October 3rd, 2025 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

After hearing his superstar teammate Nikola Jokic say on media day that his plan is to “be with the Nuggets forever,” Christian Braun suggested in a conversation with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that he has a similar mindset.

“That has been my whole career. I have wanted to win in one spot,” Braun said. “I played with the same AAU team for seven years. I never switched up my AAU team. I was with my same high school coach my whole career and never switched high schools. I was at Kansas. I thought about leaving Kansas, but I couldn’t do it. I just wanted to be in the same spot.

“You gain a relationship with those people and trust with those people. So that’s who I am as a person. We’ve won here [in 2023]. I know what it takes to win. I know what it takes to win with this group and with this organization. I became really close with a lot of the guys around here. So being a Nugget means a lot to me. That’s part of who I am. I want to be in one spot. … I want to win as a Nugget. I don’t want to win anywhere else. Me winning as a Nugget means more than something somewhere else. Being grateful for the people here drives me to want to win in a Nuggets uniform.”

Braun is currently eligible for a rookie scale extension. The deadline to sign a new deal is October 20, and if he doesn’t have an agreement in place by that point, he’ll be headed for restricted free agency next summer. The fourth-year guard said it’s not his job to worry about those contract negotiations, which he’ll leave up to his representatives.

“My main priority is to get better as an individual and get better as a team and win,” Braun told Medina. “Ultimately if we win, I know that I got to be taken care of.”

Here’s more out of Denver:

In addition to Braun, fellow 2022 first-rounder Peyton Watson is also eligible for a rookie scale extension this month. He said on media day earlier this week that he’s not stressed about what his next deal will look like, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “We’re just taking it day by day,” Watson said. “… I was telling (Nuggets VP of player personnel) Jon (Wallace) not too long ago, I’ve got everything that I’ve ever needed and wanted. I’ve got more money than I ever thought that I would ever make. So I’m not one of those guys who’s only playing basketball for the money. I’ve always played it for the enjoyment and the love of the game. And it’s put me in a position where I’m gonna have the opportunity to make some money here in this league. But I’m young. I’ve got a lot of time. I know that I’ll make a lot of money in this game.”
After playing for three teams over the past two seasons, Bruce Brown is thrilled to be back with the Nuggets, and that feeling is mutual, according to Medina, who notes that teammate Aaron Gordon referred to Brown as the “ultimate glue guy.” Speaking to Medina in a Sportskeeda interview, Brown explained what goes into playing that role: “Whatever the team needs me to do, I’ll do. If they need me to play backup (point guard) or if they need me to play at the three, whatever they need me to do, I’ll do it. My pride is put aside. I’ve played every position in the league. So whatever it takes to win, I’ll do it.”
Defensive intensity has been a point of emphasis for the Nuggets during training camp, as Durando writes for The Denver Post. New permanent head coach David Adelman even said he wouldn’t mind if the offense “takes a little step back” if it means the defense improves. Last season, Denver had the NBA’s fourth-best offensive rating but ranked just 21st on the defensive end. “If we get to around top-10 defensively,” Gordon said, “it’s going to put us in a position to win it all.”

Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Valanciunas, Braun, Brown, Murray

September 29th, 2025 at 1:55pm CST by Rory Maher

Three-time MVP and 2023 Finals MVP Nikola Jokic declined to sign a veteran extension with the Nuggets this summer, but that decision was more about maximizing his earnings rather than any sign of disconnect, he confirmed today (Twitter link via Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports).

“My plan is to be with the Nuggets forever,” Jokic said.

Jokic has long said he admires Tim Duncan, who spent all 19 years of his illustrious career with the Spurs.

The Nuggets were reportedly anticipating that Jokic might bypass an extension due to the additional year and extra $79MM they can offer next summer.

Based on the latest salary cap projections, a three-year, maximum-salary for Jokic beginning in 2027/28 would be worth $206.4MM. A four-year deal, available next offseason, would be worth a projected $285.4MM.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

New backup center Jonas Valanciunas was heavily linked to Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos this summer shortly after Denver agreed to acquire him in a trade sending Dario Saric to Sacramento. When asked about that interest, Valanciunas made it clear he was focused on the present, as Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette relays (via Twitter). “One thing I want to clarify is I’m here. I’m happy to be here. I’m going to dive in to win more games than ever,” Valanciunas said. Interestingly, head coach David Adelman said the Nuggets will explore using Jokic and Valanciunas together at times, tweets Benedetto.
Executive VP of player personnel Jon Wallace said the Nuggets have had “preliminary conversations” with Christian Braun about a potential rookie scale extension, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link). “We hope to kind of build on (those talks) in the next couple days. He’s a large part of what we do,” Wallace said. Braun, who will remain extension-eligible through Oct. 20, said he wasn’t frustrated that a deal hasn’t been completed yet (Twitter link from Benedetto).
Veteran swingman Bruce Brown is back with the Nuggets after spending the past two years on three different teams. He tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that leaving in 2023 free agency after the championship run was purely a financial decision. “I left (Denver) obviously because I got paid really well; I didn’t want to leave,” Brown said. “It was tough to leave, but I had to. I was in a place like Indy, which was on the verge of being really good. And I ended up being traded to teams where they were rebuilding and not really in a position to win a championship. And if you know how I play, I like to win. I don’t like to lose. So, as soon as I got to Toronto, I thought about coming back to Denver right away. 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.”
After an injury limited his effectiveness in both the 2024 playoffs with Denver and in the Paris Olympics with Canada, Jamal Murray says he feels much better this year heading into training camp, tweets Benedetto. “I just feel a lot better than last summer. That’s always positive,” said Murray.

Northwest Notes: Bailey, Blazers, Thunder, Nuggets

September 26th, 2025 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

Jazz rookie Ace Bailey has decided to part ways with manager Omar Cooper and is seeking new representation, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic. League sources tell Jones that Bailey and his camp have interviewed potential reps but haven’t yet made a decision on who they’ll hire.

Cooper made waves during the pre-draft process by discouraging Bailey from visiting with or working out for any teams with picks in the top five. The widespread belief, as Jones writes, was that Cooper was trying to steer his client to the Wizards at No. 6, but Utah ultimately drafted him one spot before that.

Cooper is the father of guard Sharife Cooper, who signed a two-way contract with Washington last week.

Here are a few more items of interest form around the Northwest:

RAJ Sports, a company run by the Bhatal family that reportedly made a bid to buy the Trail Blazers, has filed a lawsuit against the Cherng family, which joined Tom Dundon‘s prospective Blazers ownership group earlier this month. Jason Quick and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic have the details on the suit, which was first reported by Law360.com. RAJ Sports is claiming that the Cherngs – who own Panda Express – breached an exclusivity agreement and has asked a judge to stop them from buying a stake in the Blazers.
Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman passes along some highlights from Sam Presti‘s preseason press conference following a Thunder offseason highlighted by continuity. Presti preached patience when it comes to Nikola Topic‘s integration into the rotation, expressed confidence that Chet Holmgren will “only be better,” and said rookie big man Thomas Sorber was “playing great” before suffering a season-ending ACL tear. “It’s a really tough situation, but he’s got the right mindset. He’s got great natural energy,” Presti said of the 15th overall pick. “He’s going to get something out of this year, 100 percent, and I think it’ll position him well going into next season. But it’s certainly disappointing.”
Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required) explores what the Nuggets‘ depth chart might look like in 2025/26. While the starters – Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic – seem pretty clear, there could be some spots up for grabs on the second unit, including at point guard, where Bruce Brown projects to be Murray’s backup, and at the forward spots.
The Oklahoma City Blue and Grand Rapids Gold – the Thunder‘s and Nuggets‘ G League affiliates, respectively – completed a trade sending the returning rights to Justyn Hamilton to the Gold in exchange for the returning rights to Andrew Funk and a 2026 second-round pick, tweets Rylan Stiles of SI.com. The deal could be a precursor to Hamilton signing an Exhibit 10 contract with Denver and/or Funk signing one with Oklahoma City.

Aaron Gordon Thrilled About Nuggets’ Offseason Moves

September 17th, 2025 at 9:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets‘ new front office made several significant additions this summer in an effort to rebuild a championship-level roster. Among those impressed by the moves is power forward Aaron Gordon, who shared his excitement in an interview this week with Malika Andrews on NBA Today (hat tip to The Sports Rush).

Denver sent Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn in a trade for Cameron Johnson, and acquired backup center Jonas Valanciunas from Sacramento in a separate deal. The team also added shooting by signing free agent swingman Tim Hardaway Jr.

“That’s a squad, especially with Big Val too,” Gordon said. “Big Val is gonna hold that down. That’s a boy. We got a squad.”

The move that Gordon is most excited about is the return of versatile swingman Bruce Brown, who was also added in free agency. Brown was an important member of the 2023 title team and was used at several positions.

“Brucey B is back. Uh-oh. Might be problems for y’all, Brucey B is back,” Gordon said.

Gordon, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Tuesday, is coming off a typically productive season that saw him average 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 51 games. He has fully recovered from the hamstring injury that limited his effectiveness in Games 6 and 7 of the Western Conference semifinals loss to Oklahoma City.

Gordon, who has developed an on-court chemistry with Nikola Jokic since being traded to Denver in 2021, also talked about the privilege of playing alongside the perennial MVP candidate every night.

“He’s amazing … to get to play around one of the best players, if not the best player of all-time,” Gordon said. “It’s the gravity that Joker has. I think we have a great understanding of each other on and off the basketball floor. You guys are gonna see that flourish.”

Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Kroenke, Newcomers, Akinjo

August 27th, 2025 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets vice chairman and president Josh Kroenke was sitting courtside on Wednesday for Serbia’s first game of EuroBasket 2025 against Estonia, per Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews.com. Kroenke is the latest Nuggets executive to visit Nikola Jokic in Riga, Latvia this week, joining vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer and executive VP of player personnel Jon Wallace (story via BasketNews.com).

The three-time MVP treated the Nuggets’ contingent to a show, leading the way as Serbia rolled to a 98-64 blowout victory over the Estonians.

Jokic scored just 11 points, but was a +39 in 23 minutes of action and also contributed 10 rebounds and seven assists. He and the Serbians will be back in action on Friday when they face Portugal in the second matchup of the group-play stage of EuroBasket.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

John Schuhmann of NBA.com expects Cameron Johnson and Bruce Brown to be defensive upgrades on Michael Porter Jr. and Russell Westbrook for the Nuggets and takes a closer look at some film to explore what sort of impact the newcomers could have. As Schuhmann notes, Denver ranked just 21st in defensive rating last season after placing eighth in 2023/24.
The Nuggets’ G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, completed a trade with the Wisconsin Herd, acquiring James Akinjo‘s returning rights in exchange for the rights to Will Richardson and a 2026 first-round pick (Twitter link). The deal suggests that Akinjo, a former Baylor point guard who has played in the G League since going undrafted in 2022, is a good candidate to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Denver at some point before the season begins.
In case you missed it, we published our list of 2026 free agents by team on Tuesday. The Nuggets have nine players – six on the standard roster and three two-ways – who could reach free agency next summer.

Nuggets Notes: Valanciunas, Adelman, Rotation, Holmes, Wallace

July 17th, 2025 at 5:21pm CST by Rory Maher

While the Nuggets have made it clear they expect Jonas Valanciunas to honor his contract, which will pay him $10.4MM next season, they also recognize they will need to make a concerted effort to help the Lithuanian center feel “comfortable and content” with the idea of spending (at least) the next year with the team, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.

Valanciunas was reportedly interested in signing a three-year deal with Greek club Panathinaikos this summer but he still has one guaranteed year left on his NBA contract. Denver went through with its trade for Valanciunas and intends to have him on the roster this fall, though it remains to be seen how the 33-year-old feels about that idea, since his public comments haven’t revealed much to this point, Durando notes.

Head coach David Adelman said during a Summer League broadcast that he viewed Valanciunas as a “point center” of sorts. In an interview with Durando, he clarified what he meant.

“He’s a bona fide, big-time center over the last decade who you can put in a bunch of different spots all over the floor,” Adelman told The Post. “And when I say ‘point center,’ I mean someone you can play through in the half-court. I don’t envision him getting a rebound and pushing the ball up. I do think some of the things we already do (work with him): playing five-out with back-side dribble hand-offs, playing off the elbows, posting him up against smaller lineups, his ability to make others better.

“It’s not the assist numbers that matter to me. It’s his ability to start ball movement through the impact of who he is. So he’s an enormous get. I’m super excited about getting him here, getting him acclimated.”

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

From his comments, it seems clear that Adelman envisions Valanciunas having a significant role off the bench. But Adelman told Durando that free agent additions Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. will have to earn whatever minutes they receive next season. “Those guys have to compete for spots. That’s new guys included. They all know that,” the coach said. “We’re very excited about some of the things those guys have done through their careers. We expect them to come to compete like they’ve done, and there’s a reason they’ve all played in rotations across the league. But this is going to be an open competition. I hope our young guys understand that. … And all those guys will complement Jonas. It’s gonna be the guys who earn these spots that get to play with him.”
Second-year big man DaRon Holmes is back in action at Summer League a year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon, which sidelined him for his entire rookie season. Holmes recognizes it’s going to take him some time to adjust to playing five-on-five again, Durando writes in another story for The Denver Post. “I always see people that are like, ‘Hey, this guy didn’t play well! This guy didn’t!’ It’s Summer League,” Holmes said. “Not even just for me; for all the other athletes out here playing. A lot of the rooks. They’re getting used to it. So it just takes some time. It’s like when you’re first playing when you’re a freshman going into college. That’s how it feels.”
Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette details how Nuggets executive vice president of player personnel Jon Wallace made a habit of proving people wrong during his time at Georgetown. Wallace’s former college coach thinks he’s well suited for his new job. “Jon Wallace is a hoop head, who, oh, by the way, is also extremely intelligent, who, oh, by the way, is a connector and understands the dynamics of putting a unit together,” John Thompson III told Benedetto. “He’ll be able to take the owner’s vision and be able to execute that. I think he will do many aspects of the job at a very high level.”

Nuggets Sign Bruce Brown To One-Year Deal

July 9th, 2025 at 1:34pm CST by Eli Cohen

July 9: Brown has officially signed with the Nuggets, according to a press release from the team.

June 30: The Nuggets have agreed to a deal to bring Bruce Brown back to Denver on a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Sam Amick of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the deal will be worth the veteran’s minimum.

Since leaving the Nuggets as a free agent in 2023, Brown has spent time with the Pacers, Raptors, and Pelicans. He averaged 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 2024/25 over 41 games split between Toronto and New Orleans before being held out of action down the stretch with a right knee injury.

The versatile 6’4″ wing spent time with the Pistons and Nets before his first stint in Denver, which culminated in him playing a key role off the bench for the championship team in 2022/23. After averaging 12 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game in the playoffs that year, Brown left the team for a two-year, $45MM offer from the Pacers that Denver didn’t have the ability to match.

Brown now returns to a Denver team that is making aggressive moves to position itself for another title run, including trading longtime starter Michael Por ter Jr. and a first-round pick for Cameron Johnson.