3 Denver Nuggets Who Won't Be Back Next Season

The Denver Nuggets are still in celebration mode, marking their first-ever NBA championship after their demolition of the Miami Heat in five games. The Nuggets had a tremendous season, finishing atop the Western Conference with 53 wins, and finding very little serious opposition on their playoff run to the title. 

But all of that doesn't mean there won't be changes coming to the World Champs' roster for 2023-24. Starting with these three players, who almost certainly won't be back next season:

Bruce Brown

This one hurts. Brown was a brilliant under-the-radar signing last offseason and turned into a key contributor to the championship run. He says he definitely wants to come back. But unless he's willing to take a massive hometown discount, the business side of the sport says that Brown will not be returning to Denver. 

As noted by John Hollinger in The Athletic, "Brown is almost certainly leaving for greener pastures this summer, with a player option on his $6.8 million deal for next year and the Nuggets lacking Bird rights to pay him anywhere near his likely market."

Thomas Bryant

The big man had a nice role for himself with the Los Angeles Lakers this season, but Bryant was shipped to Denver at the trade deadline and saw his playing time crater. He was averaging 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds in 21 minutes per game in LA. But with the Nuggets, he got into just 11 minutes per game, and appeared in just one postseason contest. He'll undoubtedly be looking for a bigger role somewhere. 

Reggie Jackson

The 13-year veteran gets his ring, but he didn't have quite the impact he would have hoped after coming to Denver on the buyout market. In his 16 regular season appearances, he averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 assists, and only shot 28% from three-point range. In the playoffs, he was a complete non-factor, getting off the bench only six times, for an average of three minutes per game, scoring 0.5 points. 

Another candidate here for the no-return list might be center DeAndre Jordan, but head coach Michael Malone repeatedly praised Jordan for his veteran role on the team: "The impact he’s had on our team has been tangible. It’s real. His positivity, his leadership," said Malone. 

Photo: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports