Another rookie extension was agreed to on Wednesday night as the Kings extended Keegan Murray for five years, $140 million. Whether that’s a fair deal or not is up for debate, but what’s not up for debate is that this means the price tag for Christian Braun just went up.
Braun is due for a rookie extension of his own, with the deadline looming on Monday, and there is some urgency for Denver to lock up the young, budding star. There were rumors that Braun’s deal would be for at least $25 million a season, and this Murray deal should only confirm that.
Murray is now set to make an annual average value of $28 million per season, a figure that would have to make the Nuggets a little squeamish for Braun. But in reality, despite Murray having the better draft pedigree, being selected fourth overall in the 2022 draft, Braun has been the better player.
Braun broke out last season, his first opportunity to start, putting up over 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists a night for one of the best teams in the league. He took on a massive role defensively and was also one of the best transition players in the entire NBA.
Murray, on the other hand, took a step back last year and struggled across the board, scoring just 12.4 points per game with 6.7 rebounds. His three-point shooting dipped to 34% and the Kings were not a successful team. Murray is a fine player and may develop into a star one day, but that’s quite the leap of faith based on what we’ve seen.
Murray deal should be starting point for Braun extension
But Braun has improved drastically each season, and appears poised to take another leap. There’s no chance he’s worth less than Murray at this point in each player’s career, and Christian and his agent shouldn’t accept a penny less.
Unfortunately for the Nuggets, that means handing out yet another massive contract to a starter. Next season, Denver is already on the hook for $59 million to Nikola Jokic, $50.1 million to Jamal Murray, $33.7 million to Aaron Gordon, and $23.1 million to Cam Johnson. Even if Braun takes the same deal that Murray just got, adding that $28 million would put the starters' salaries for 2026-27 at $194 million.
For reference, the salary cap for this coming season is set at $154.6 million, the first apron line is $195.9 million, and the second apron starts at $207.8 million. That would leave the Nuggets with about $14 million to play with before surpassing the dreaded second apron, with 10 roster spots to fill.
In other words, something’s got to give. Braun is about to get paid handsomely, the Nuggets are about to get extremely expensive, and the front office is going to have to make some difficult decisions.