Bruce Brown has a decision to make after the National Basketball Association’s free agency period begins tomorrow. It’s a choice we all wish we could have.
Does he re-sign with the Nuggets for the most they can pay him under the NBA’s salary limits for the coming season—just short of $8 million—and, in the process, secure a shot at another NBA championship?
Or does he cash-in on his freedom and take the most money from whatever team will pay it—even if it means foregoing a shot at another league title, maybe ever? (Or betting on a team that’s thought to be building toward a title.)
Ask a pro athlete in any sport what’s most important to him (or her), and almost unanimously the answer is: “A chance to win.”
Implicit in that answer is “a ring,” as in the jewelry players receive when they’re part of a champion.
But another question crosses my mind whenever a pro faces the kind of choice in front of Bruce Brown: How much is enough?
I don’t know about you, but in what I consider a good career, I never once had the chance for a million-dollar payday, let alone one worth almost $8 million.
In fact, while I haven’t added up my lifetime earnings, I’m certain they wouldn’t equal what Brown already has made in his best season so far.
He has called Denver a “perfect fit” for his game and has spoken glowingly of coach Michael Malone as maximizing his talents. During the downtown celebration of the Nuggets’ first NBA title, he sounded a lot like he wanted to return to the Nuggets.
But this raises that question again: How much is enough?
The demise of most championship teams can be traced to their inability to retain the players who were key to winning.
Nazem Kadri took the money Calgary offered, for example, and that, combined with injuries and other subtractions, rendered the Avalanche unable to defend their Stanley Cup.
The Nuggets are unusual in that their entire starting five is under contract for 2023-24 and, thus, should be equipped for an encore.
Only Brown and seasoned veteran Jeff Green are uncertain among the top eight—’22 first-rounder Christian Braun still under his rookie contract as he enters his second season in the league.
Another championship is not guaranteed, of course. But the Nuggets appear to be in a strong position as they approach their title defense. If he returns, Brown could find himself basking in the euphoria of another title.
But, once again, how much is enough.
Almost 20 years ago, I wrote a book with former All-American Jay Leeuwenburg, who was a starter on Bill McCartney’s national champion football team at the University of Colorado, then played nine years in the National Football League—all with type 1 diabetes.
Jay was one of the NFL’s first big-money free agents, signing with Indianapolis after the 1995 season for $6.3 million over four years. That’s less than Bruce Brown passed up a few weeks ago by declining his player option with the Nuggets, but at the time it made Leeuwenburg the highest-paid center in the NFL.
As much as $6.3 million is, though, Jay showed me that it’s a lot less than it sounds once you deduct your agent’s share and pay your taxes.
The point is that Bruce Brown, whatever he ultimately signs for, won’t make that much himself.
But, again, how much is enough? And, I’d add, what else matters?
Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth has shown himself to be a smart, shrewd architect when it comes to building a championship roster. Last year, he traded for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and signed Bruce Brown, for example.
And he found a way to transform last week’s NBA Draft from barren to possibly fruitful.
So, I won’t be surprised if he finds a way to convince Brown to cast his lot once again with Denver.
One creative way would be to sign Brown for as much as he can for next season and agree to another player option for the following one—which Brown could again decline, believing the Nuggets will make good with a richer, long-term deal. A four-year deal with an initial salary of $14 million would be possible.
That, of course, would require commitment from the Nuggets, trust from Brown, and acceptance of less than he could make elsewhere in the coming season.
How much is enough?
Denny Dressman is a veteran of 43 years in the newspaper business, including 25 at the Rocky Mountain News, where he began as executive sports editor. He is the author of 15 books, nine of them sports-related. You can write to Denny at dennydressman@comcast.net.