How Christian Braun earned his $125M contract with the Nuggets

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DENVER (AP) — There's a different vibe surrounding the Denver Nuggets' latest mega contract, one that will pay shooting guard Christian Braun $125 million over five years.

“It’s good to see somebody that gets it not just off talent but off work,” Denver coach David Adelman said. “And I think that goes a long way in our league. Sometimes you’re guessing of what could happen down the road and you’re paying for that. This has been earned every step of the way.

“Everyone's seen the growth, not just in his game but his confidence.”

The 21st player selected in the 2022 NBA draft out of Kansas, where he won a national title, Braun became a full-time starter last season and averaged 15.4 points, more than double his 7.3-point average from a year before.

He also led the league in fast-break points in 2024-25 and was the only non-center to average 15-plus points and five rebounds while shooting at least 58% from the floor.

The next step in his evolution, said Adelman, whose team opens the season at Golden State on Thursday night, “is just what he's been doing.”

“I think sometimes it’s not about what else can he do? It’s just getting better at what he does well,” Adelman said. “When you start working on things that are outside of, I guess, your game, you can get lost and confused really quickly. So, it’s all about perfecting what you do well to complement your teammates.”

Braun is on that same wavelength.

“I think me being me is good for this team,” he said. “I don’t want to be anybody else. I don’t want to play like anybody else. I just want to be the best version of myself and I think that’s best for the Denver Nuggets.”

Braun said he was relieved to get a deal done by Monday's deadline and is glad he won't be worrying about contract matters for quite some time.

“To be honest, I hated the process,” Braun said, adding: “Negotiations maybe aren't my thing.”

“It is a little stressful,” Braun said. “But like I said, I don’t like 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 to be honest.”

Now, he said, “I get to go into the season with a clear mind.”

Loyalty and continuity have been hallmarks of Braun's basketball journey — “I never changed teams in high school or college, I don’t want to change in the NBA,” he said.

“There's not many positions in the NBA where every year you come in and it's title expectations. ... So, I'm really excited to be here for a long time.”

As are his teammates.

“Very excited. You know, they grow up so fast,” Jamal Murray said with a grin.

Murray said it's “super important” to have Braun as part of the Nuggets' core for years to come.

“Congrats to CB. He's earned it. We're excited for what the future holds,” Murray said. “So having him here and him being able to relax a little bit with all the stress and everything that comes with your contract year, I think that will help him.”

Adelman said he takes pride in seeing Braun rewarded after he averaged 4.7 points as a rookie during Denver's title run and started a combined 10 games in his first two seasons before starting 77 times in 2024-25.

“He deserves it,” Adelman said. “It's cool to see somebody go through the program here, be part of winning, be part of hanging the banner and then do all the right things to get rewarded for it. That's what it's supposed to be about and he's been a main cog in what we do ...

“These moments are cool. I know the money is hard to understand from the outside looking in but this is a billion-dollar business and that guy deserves every dollar he's getting just off pure hard work and the ability to know he can get better every day.”

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