Denver Has Paid for Its Passing Core, and the Bench Is Where It Can Still Save
The five biggest salaries are the five who make the offense work, and with little room left to add, the cheap contracts have to carry the rest.
Denver's payroll of $217.8M puts it past the tax line and the first apron, with almost no draft capital left to trade. The next move comes from within, through the small contracts that fill the minutes when the big five are hurt.
What does the money buy?
Denver's payroll is $217.8M. The tax line is $200.4M, the first apron $209.0M and the second apron $221.7M, so the club is over the first and short of the second. The five largest contracts are Jokic at $59.0M, Murray at $50.1M, Gordon at $33.7M, Johnson at $23.1M and Braun at $21.6M. Those are the players who move the ball to each other, and the payroll is mostly the price of keeping that group in one place.
What happens in 2027-28?
The cap sheet shows Murray at $53.8M and Braun at $23.3M. Jokic at $62.8M and Gordon at $36.4M are player options, as is Zeke Nnaji at $7.5M. Johnson has no 2027-28 figure listed, so his $23.1M is the one large salary that does not carry over. Jokic has said he plans to sign an extension, and no terms or timeline have been reported. Until that is settled, next summer's room depends on decisions Denver does not control.
Is there anything left to trade?
Very little. The 2027 first-round pick is protected and the 2027 second is owed to Utah. The firsts in 2028, 2029 and 2030 are all protected to Oklahoma City. Washington and Charlotte hold claims on seconds, and the 2030 second is a swap. Hoops Rumors reported that the Bucks turned down a potential Kevin Porter Jr. trade with Denver, and RealGM reported that Nnaji was part of the talks. With few picks to offer, a deal like that was always going to depend on a mid-sized salary going out.
Where does the flexibility come from?
It comes from the cheap end of the sheet. Spencer Jones is at $6.0M, DaRon Holmes at $3.4M and Trevon Brazile at $1.4M. Brazile scored 17 points with nine rebounds against the Pelicans and was on the floor in the closing group beside Jokic and Murray. Johnson and Spencer Jones are no longer ruled out ahead of Monday's game with Golden State. If the small contracts hold up when the large ones are missing, the apron stops being the only question about this roster.
How much is the Nuggets' payroll?
Denver's payroll is $217.8M. That is above the $200.4M tax line and the $209.0M first apron, and short of the $221.7M second apron.
Do the Nuggets own their first-round picks?
Not fully. The 2027 first is protected, and the 2028, 2029 and 2030 firsts are protected to Oklahoma City.
