Christian Braun isn’t pretending the noise around Denver has gone away. He’s hearing the skepticism about the Nuggets’ offseason, and he’s also hearing the talk that his own deal looks expensive after ankle problems limited him to 44 games in his fourth NBA season. His response, at least heading into training camp, is simple: let the doubts fuel the work.
“It’s honestly good for you, every once in a while, to get punched in the mouth,” Braun said. “… So it’s good for me to personally get written off.
It’s probably good for the team to get written off. But like I said, I wouldn’t write a (Nuggets) team off that won that many games and has been there, has won a championship, has done all those things.
So we’re excited. And obviously, we don’t really care what other people have to say.”
Denver’s roster took hits in the effort to stay with San Antonio and Oklahoma City near the top of the West. Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas are gone from last season’s group, but the Nuggets did keep Spencer Jones by matching an offer from the Thunder. They also added a veteran bucket-getter, agreeing with DeMar DeRozan in free agency.
Braun said he’s “really excited to play with another All-Star” in DeRozan, and he backed the front office to keep finding the right pieces. Just as important for him, he says the ankle is behind him now and he wants last season to fade out of the conversation.
“Yeah, I think we’re going to put it in the past, and it’s not something I want to talk about anymore,” Braun said. “I’ve worked extremely hard to get past it and will continue to work on it, and (it’s) something that will continue to develop, continue to get better.
So I’m not too worried about what other people have to say about it. I know who I am and the player I am.
I know I’ll bounce back and be right where I need to be next year.”
Denver’s offseason isn’t the only Northwest Division storyline getting attention. Assistant coach Ognjen Stojakovic spoke about losing Watson in an interview with Bruno Feliks of Basketball Network, making clear the choice now is between dwelling on it or moving forward.
“Of course, losing someone like that, it’s not easy,” Stojakovic said. “So, now we can like, now we can, I don’t know, we can be sad about that or we can be like, okay, it is what it is and we’re going to do next step and do whatever is necessary to rebuild us and to find the right way and the right direction to win championship.”
Elsewhere in the division, there’s at least some buzz around Kevin Love and a possible Timberwolves reunion. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic said on the Talk North podcast that Love is “open to coming back to Minnesota” and that the team may have interest as well. Love is a free agent after spending last season with Utah.
Krawczynski also laid out a broader look at the Timberwolves’ reshaped roster and the challenges Chris Finch faces after a summer of major changes.
And in Portland, Bill Oram of The Oregonian argued that commissioner Adam Silver should step in as Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon works through arena-upgrade talks. Oram noted that three weeks have gone by since Portland City Council approved a term sheet, with city officials hoping for movement by Labor Day. He wrote that Dundon’s absence from the process since then makes a deal less likely before the December deadline and leaves open the possibility that he could eventually explore moving the team.
In Other News...
Nuggets Bench Battle Could Reshape Denvers Rotation Fast
Denvers second unit is already shaping up as one of the most interesting parts of the roster heading toward the 2026-27 season, with offseason turnover set to force real changes in how the Nuggets piece together their rotation. Julian Strawther, Christian Braun and Spencer Jones are all in the mix to see their roles shift, and the teams decisions around the bench will go a long way toward determining how much stability the supporting cast can provide around the core.
Spencer Jones place in that picture is especially notable after Denver chose to retain him, a sign the front office sees value in what he brings as it tries to improve the teams defensive rating. With Braun and Strawther also positioned for different workloads, the Nuggets may not just be tweaking the end of the rotation - they could be reworking how that entire second unit functions from night to night. [Read more 🡒]
Nikola Jokic Just Added Another Reminder Of How Rare He Is
Nikola Jokic keeps adding to a rsum that already looked unlike anyone elses, and this latest honor reaches back to the place where it all started. The Denver center was already a former ABA League MVP before arriving in the NBA, and now the Adriatic Basketball League has put him at the top of its first quarter-century, another nod to a career that has crossed from regional standout to three-time NBA MVP and one of the sports defining figures.
For Jokic, the recognition carries a particular weight because it comes from the league that helped shape him long before the Nuggets made him their franchise centerpiece. He spoke with gratitude about the honor and the role that league played in his development, a reminder that even with all the NBA hardware, some of the most meaningful milestones are the ones tied to where a player grew up. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Are Finally Addressing Their Toughest Offseason Loss
The Nuggets are still sorting through one of the summers tougher exits, with 23-year-old forward Peyton Watson now gone after a restricted free agency process and a move that sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a future first-round pick. Watson had become a meaningful part of Denvers rotation, coming off a strong season in which he averaged 14.6 points and led the team in blocks per game, so his departure lands differently than a routine roster shuffle.
Assistant coach Ognjen Stojakovi acknowledged how hard it is to lose a young player with that kind of growth, but he also framed the conversation around what comes next. For Denver, the message is clear enough: the roster has changed, the sting is real, and the focus now shifts back to the one goal that keeps every offseason decision in perspective, chasing a championship. [Read more 🡒]