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.
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Kevin Love's Next Team Could Say A Lot About His Final Chapter
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Philadelphia and Miami are also part of the chatter, which keeps the picture fluid for now. Loves next choice could say plenty about how he wants to spend the final chapter of his NBA career, whether that means chasing one more meaningful role or settling into a team that values him as much for experience as for production. No official decision has come yet, so the wait continues. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Arrives With One Big Question For Wolves Fans
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Kumingas shooting has been inconsistent enough to keep that question alive, even on looks he should be expected to make. The hope in Minnesota is that playing alongside a creator like LaMelo Ball could clean up some of those chances and help him find a better rhythm, but the early read will still come down to whether he can turn open space into reliable production once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Finch Faces One Big Test For The Wolves Ceiling
Chris Finch has spent the past few seasons proving he can give the Timberwolves a clear defensive backbone while still finding ways to keep the offense from feeling stale. Since taking over in 2021, he has built a reputation for creativity on that side of the ball, even if Minnesotas offensive ranking has not always matched the imagination behind it. That balance has become part of the story around the Wolves now, because their ceiling is tied not just to defending at a high level, but to whether Finch can keep nudging the attack forward.
The next step is less about identity and more about fit, especially with the kind of skill players Minnesota wants to maximize. LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga come with obvious offensive upside, but getting the most out of that kind of talent is never as simple as drawing up one extra set. Finchs challenge is to keep the structure that makes the Wolves tough to play against while finding a cleaner way to unlock more of what the roster can do on the other end. [Read more 🡒]