Calvin Booth’s No. 1 goal entering this offseason was to surround Nikola Jokic with better defenders.
Mission accomplished.
The Nuggets completed their roster Friday morning on day 2 of free agency by agreeing on a 2-year, $13 million contract with Bruce Brown with a player option in the second season. Malika Andrews first reported the deal.
Brown is the second high-level defender that Denver has added this offseason after trading for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last week. The moves give Denver more versatility and optionality with its lineups entering next season’s chase for the Larry O’Brien.
Here’s more on Brown, a former second-round draft pick in 2018.
He averaged 9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season in Brooklyn. He also shot 50.6% from the field and a career-high 40.4% from 3 (41% on catch-and-shoot 3s last season). He’s a solid free-throw shooter too at 74.5% for his career. The 25-year-old is durable and played in 72 games last season. For a star-laden Nets team, he routinely took on one of the tougher defensive assignments every night.
6’4 Bruce Brown ranked in the 98th percentile of defensive versatility and 95th percentile of matchup difficulty. He had a TON on his plate, yet he thrived on the perimeter and somehow as a rim protector.
0th percentile PPP on cuts (surprising) but a solid spot-up shooter. Win. pic.twitter.com/4QtqQlVkG1
— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) July 1, 2022
Brown is a really good off-ball cutter and mover who excels at finding openings in the defense that others wouldn’t. He’s going to thrive when he plays next to Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Brown doesn’t need the ball and a certain number of shots to play hard. Malone is going to love Brown’s defensive-first approach and his selfless play. He’s not afraid to get up into guys and pester them on the perimeter. He’s just really, really tough to play against.
The Nuggets’ other free agency moves were to re-sign Davon Reed, another sturdy defender and jack-of-all-trades off the bench to a two-way deal, and add DeAndre Jordan on a veteran’s minimum one-year contract. Jordan was signed to play backup center. Denver likes Jordan’s physicality, what he can provide them on the defensive end of the floor and his presence in the locker room. He has a rep as someone everybody in the league loves to be around.
Jordan’s signing closed the door on DeMarcus Cousins’ time in Denver. Cousins saved the Nuggets’ second unit last season, but I’m told Denver wanted more of a defensive-minded center backing up Jokic and someone who was more durable. That’s what the Nuggets believe Jordan will provide. My read is that the Nuggets were just over Cousins’ technical fouls and volatility too. They didn’t want to deal with it again night-in night-out next season.
Here’s my informed prediction on what the second unit looks like to open next season: Bones Hyland-Bruce Brown-Davon Reed-Jeff Green-DeAndre Jordan. Green, who’s making $4.5 million could still be moved in a trade, but Michael Malone loves the veteran. Zeke Nnaji will have a chance to earn minutes eventually, but for now, that five-man bench lineup is my prediction for how the Nuggets open the season.
The starting lineup is even more set. The Nuggets scoured the league for potential fits at shooting guard once they decided they wanted to move Will Barton. Denver settled on Caldwell-Pope as one of the best attainable options and got him. The Caldwell-Pope and Brown signings give the Nuggets a ton of lineup flexibility too. If Denver needs defense, it can deploy Murray, Caldwell-Pope, Brown, Aaron Gordon and Jokic. If the Nuggets want offense, they can go to Murray, Bones Hyland, Caldwell-Pope, Porter. and Jokic. Those are clearly Denver’s top-7 players entering next season. I’d slot in Green as the eighth at this moment.
The Brown addition should complete Denver’s roster for now. It feels like Vlatko Cancar is in line to return and fill the Nuggets’ 15th roster spot. Another two-way signing is available to Denver as well. Perhaps the Nuggets leave it open and see if they’re able to uncover another diamond in the rough at Summer League next week.
Brown ties a bow on Denver’s free agency and adds another high-caliber defender to the Nuggets’ rotation. We’ll see what other tweaks the Nuggets choose or don’t choose to make over the rest of the summer and into next season. But for now, Denver has a championship-caliber roster.
Calvin Booth did well on this one.
