The Denver Nuggets are carrying one of the league’s messiest payrolls, and that reality makes every contract on the books worth a closer look.
According to Capsheets.com, Denver is set to pay $218 million in salaries for the 2026-27 season. The Nuggets are the only NBA team above the second apron, and they’re also $18 million into the luxury tax, which adds another $75 million to the bill. Put it all together, and the total cost for this roster climbs to nearly $300 million.
With 14 players currently under contract as the Nuggets work through the rest of their offseason, the question becomes simple: which deals help Denver the most, and which ones are the toughest to stomach? Here’s a ranking of the current contracts from worst to best.
Christian Braun sits at the bottom of the list with a five-year, $125 million deal that already has the look of a regret for Denver. The hope now is that year five gives Braun a chance to turn things around and keep this extension from becoming a major problem.
Zeke Nnaji is next with a two-year, $14.9 million deal that has been a source of trade chatter all offseason. Those talks haven’t gone anywhere yet, and for now he remains the sixth-highest-paid player on the roster despite no guarantee of rotation minutes.
Tyus Jones landed back in Denver on a minimum contract worth $2.4 million for one year, a move the Nuggets made a priority this offseason. He may end up being the only backup point guard on the roster when next season opens.
Marvin Bagley also checks in at $2.4 million for one year after Denver moved to replace Jonas Valanciunas with a cheaper option. Bagley gives the Nuggets a more offensive-minded backup behind Nikola Jokic, though his role could still be limited to around 10 minutes a night.
Alpha Diallo is the biggest budget swing Denver made this offseason, signing the EuroLeague defensive standout for $1.3 million on a one-year deal. That price tag is far below what the more established veterans are making, and if the NBA fit works, it could become a bargain quickly.
Cameron Johnson’s $23 million expiring contract lands in the middle of the pack. Denver had a chance to explore trades that would have moved that salary and created more room to keep Peyton Watson, but the team held onto Johnson, a sign of how much it values his shooting.
Julian Strawther’s $4.3 million one-year deal looks solid after a third season in Denver that saw his minutes dip. He enters a contract year with a real chance to play a meaningful bench role, which gives this salary a strong value feel.
DaRon Holmes is on an $8.9 million deal over 1+1 years, and while there’s no certainty he’ll fully bounce back from the Achilles injury he suffered in 2024, the contract itself is still affordable. Denver also keeps flexibility with the fourth-year team option due next summer.
Trevon Brazile comes in at $9.2 million over 2+2 years, a deal that could age well if he settles into the system quickly. Even if he ends up as a back-end rotation piece, the $2.3 million average annual value has a chance to look strong.
Spencer Jones is on a two-year, $11.7 million deal after Denver matched the offer sheet he signed with the OKC Thunder. That move tightened the Nuggets’ financial squeeze under the second apron, but it also gave them a defensive wing at a reasonable number for the next two seasons.
Jamal Murray ranks fourth with a three-year, $161.4 million contract. The price is steep at more than $50 million per year, but Murray is coming off a career season and playing at an All-NBA level, which makes the deal look justified even if it adds to Denver’s financial pain.
Aaron Gordon’s two-plus-one-year, $103.6 million contract is easy to overlook, but it carries real value at a little over $34 million annually. The concern is availability, especially with Gordon now 30 and coming off an injury-riddled 2025-26 season.
Nikola Jokic lands at No. 2, and his $121.8 million deal over 1+1 years is still a massive bargain for a player of his stature. Paying more than $60 million a season is a rare number, but for a three-time MVP, Denver would gladly keep that contract around longer, especially with unrestricted free agency possible in July of 2027.
At No. 1 is DeMar DeRozan, who arrived late in the offseason on a one-year, $2.3 million deal. Fresh off a Sacramento season in which he averaged over 18 points per game on 49.7% shooting and missed only five regular-season games, he gives Denver exactly the kind of dependable production this roster can afford right now.
In Other News...
Peyton Watson Opened Up About A Brutal Michael Malone Lesson
Peyton Watsons time in Denver came with the kind of hard-edged coaching that can stick with a young player long after the practice ends. In a recent interview with Michael Porter Jr., Watson revisited a rookie-season moment when Michael Malone called him out in front of the team, a scene Watson said was embarrassing at the time but ended up becoming part of his early education in the NBA.
Watson, who was recently sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade deal from the Nuggets, said the lesson forced him to sharpen his attention to detail and deepen his understanding of the game plan. Porter Jr. echoed that sentiment as they looked back on Malones style, suggesting the Nuggets coachs blunt approach was difficult in the moment but also a big reason young players in Denver kept growing. [Read more 🡒]
LaVar Ball Just Gave Nuggets Fans A New Jokic Debate
LaVar Ball has managed to give Nuggets fans another reason to argue about Nikola Jokic, even if the debate starts from a place that feels pretty far removed from Denvers reality. On his show, Ball said Jokic would not be a fit in his preferred fast-paced system, arguing that the reigning centerpiece in Denver is not the kind of athletic big man he wants running the floor and finishing above the rim. He did acknowledge Jokics talent, but made it clear his idea of how basketball should look leaves little room for a player built like the Nuggets star.
For Denver, the more interesting part is how upside-down that critique sounds when measured against the way Jokic actually plays. His game is built less on sprinting for lobs than on rebounding, vision and passing that can turn a defensive stop into a quick strike before most teams are set. That contrast is why Balls comments land as more than just a hot take, because they reopen the same old question about whether the best offense is the one that looks fastest or the one that keeps finding Jokic in the middle of everything. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Fans Just Got A New Reason To Question Ownership Priorities
Stan Kroenkes sports empire is getting even bigger, and Nuggets fans have another reason to wonder how ownership chooses where to spend. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has agreed to buy controlling interest in the Los Angeles Angels from Arte Moreno, a deal reported at a MLB-record price north of $3.9 billion, adding another major franchise to a portfolio that already includes Denvers NBA team.
For Nuggets supporters, the timing is hard to ignore because the conversation around the roster has already shifted toward restraint and cost management. Denvers recent trade of Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers only sharpened that focus, with luxury tax considerations hanging over every move and the team already operating under the pressure of the second apron. The question now is whether a growing sports empire means more flexibility or just a clearer line between where the money goes and where it does not. [Read more 🡒]