Denver Nuggets Reportedly Unwilling to Offer Championship Player Max Contract

The Denver Nuggets are reportedly unwilling to offer Aaron Gordon a max contract

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) and forward Aaron Gordon (50) react during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images / Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

While many look at the Denver Nuggets as a big one-two punch between Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. When in actuality, Aaron Gordon is a very big piece of the puzzle. Which makes the team's recent reported handling of Gordon's contract very shocking.

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Denver Nuggets are unwilling to offer Aaron Gordon the full max contract of $150 million. Gordon has a player option in the 2025-26 NBA season and is an unrestricted free agent in the 2026-2027 season.

"From what I understand, they are negotiating with Aaron Gordon," Windhorst said. "Aaron Gordon was eligible for a four-year, $150 million-ish contract extension. They haven't handed out that offer, otherwise he would have signed it. From what I understand, they are negotiating and they're hopeful of getting him at less than what would be his quote, unquote max."

Currently, Aaron Gordon is on a 4-year, $86.7 million contract that he signed in September 2021. It was a deal that was made before Gordon became an NBA champion with the Nuggets. If the past two seasons have proven anything, it's how important Gordon is to the Nuggets' playoff success.

During the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Gordon averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists on 59/41/82 shooting from the field. He performed better in last year's playoff than he did during the team's championship year in 2023, and was arguably the second-best player on the team during last year's playoffs.

Year by year, the Denver Nuggets have had multiple dominoes fall that have stripped the team of their championship roster. First, it was Bruce Brown and Jeff Green. Then, it became losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Now, the team has a very critical decision to make on Aaron Gordon.

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