Nuggets Urged to Reunite With $45 Million NBA Champion

However, just one year before the catastrophic second-half collapse in Game 7 at home against Minnesota, the Nuggets rode a winning wave all the way to the franchise's first NBA title. 

One player who was both a part of that championship run and conspicuously absent from the lineup during the team's last two postseason appearances is Bruce Brown, who just so happens to be available in free agency this summer.

Brown has missed the Nuggets as much as they've missed him over the past couple of seasons, which led ESPN's Zach Kram to suggest a reunion between the two on Monday, June 30 -- the opening day of NBA free agency. 

"Earlier this decade, Brown thrived in Brooklyn and then Denver, playing next to the likes of Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic. But without superstars by his side, his production plummeted, and now he's in line for a much smaller deal than the two-year, $45 million pact he signed two summers ago." Kram wrote. "A reunion with the Nuggets would make a lot of sense for both sides. Jokic would bring out the best in Brown, a jack-of-all-trades with a high hoops IQ who developed a strong chemistry with Denver's starters. And for the Nuggets, Brown would offer cheap, veteran reliability amid the unproven youth brigade that makes up the rest of the bench."

Brown, who will play next season at 29 years old, averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.5 minutes per game for the Nuggets during their championship run in 2023.