Report: Nuggets' Brown declines $6.8M option, will become free agent

Denver Nuggets wing Bruce Brown Jr. is declining his $6.8-million player option for the 2023-24 season and will become a free agent, sources told Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Brown, 26, was a key contributor to the Nuggets' championship run this season. He led Denver's reserves in minutes, scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals in the playoffs.

The former University of Miami star averaged a career-high 11.5 points in the regular season along with 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He signed a two-year deal with a player option last summer.

Denver can offer a maximum of $7.8 million per year to retain Brown, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks. He could receive larger offers from other teams in free agency, including the $12.2-million mid-level exception.

Brown spent the first two seasons of his career with the Detroit Pistons before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, where he played for another two years. The Pistons drafted him in the second round in 2018.