Jun 15, 2023; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and Denver Nuggets forward Bruce Brown (11) during the championship parade after the Denver Nuggets won the 2023 NBA Finals. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Nuggets Agree to One-Year Deal With Ex-Champion

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 8:23 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets had a big goal to re-figure the team around Nikola Jokic this offseason. He wanted the team to add more depth, as the teams with the most depth win, according to him.

The NBA Free Agency negotiation period opened on Monday, with the Nuggets starting by making the shocking trade of sending Michael Porter Jr. and a future first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson. That move saved the Nuggets a bunch of money, putting them below the first tax apron, and allowing them to make some moves.

Free agent Bruce Brown Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets, sources tell ESPN. The 2023 NBA champion for the Nuggets returns to Denver. CAA's Ty Sullivan and Steven Heumann finalized the deal tonight with the Nuggets. pic.twitter.com/YZV094pUs0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025

As part of that plan, ESPN's NBA Shams Charania has reported that the Nuggets have agreed to a one-year deal, although the terms aren't official yet. Either way, Bruce Brown is back in Denver, where he helped deliver them a championship in his one season with the team.

This was a long-expected move, with the two sides wanting to find their way back to each other. Brown left in free agency after the championship in 2023 to sign a two-year, $45 million deal with the Indiana Pacers, a lot more money than the Nuggets could offer.

: BRUCE BROWN IS SIGNING WITH THE NUGGETS, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/eI0QuGFkDh
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) June 30, 2025

After signing with the Pacers, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2024 as part of the package that brought in Pascal Siakam. Then, after just over a year with the Raptors, who saw them pick up his team option, he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the package for Brandon Ingram.

Brown was playing well in Indiana before he was traded, and since then, he's just been okay, averaging a little over 8 PPG. But getting to play with Nikola Jokic again will make everything easier for him.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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