Last month was heartbreaking for the Nuggets. With their Game 7 loss at Ball Arena (98-90), their high hopes of becoming back-to-back champs went down the drain because of the young Wolves squad. While Nuggets coach Michael Malone took to the podium to discuss their loss, the Timberwolves celebration from their locker room could be heard every time Malone answered a question.

With the loss, Nuggets have lost three of their four home games. What’s next for them? They need to regroup this off-season. But that might be easier said than done because of the financial crisis that follows in place of Jamal Murray’s $208 million pending decision – something that could even put a reunion with former Nuggets star Bruce Brown at risk.

Heading into the final year of his five-year $158.2 million contract, Murray will have an option to sign a $208.5 million extension with the Nuggets this summer that will keep him in Denver for four more years. Meanwhile, if he chooses to delay the process and wait another year, he might have a chance to bag an even bigger five-year $314.8 million extension in 2025 as part of the designated veteran contract.

But getting to that number will depend on whether he makes it to the All-NBA team next season. Considering his record, Murray has failed to get even one All-Star nod in his eight-year career on top of his recent injury woes. So it is highly likely that he will go with the safer option of locking in the $208.5 million. While that will keep Murray in Denver at a cheaper rate, it might ruin their chances of acquiring Bruce Brown in the trade market this summer.

Just last week, the Raptors decided to exercise Brown’s $23 million team option and use him as a trade chip, which sparked rumors of a reunion with the Nuggets. But that might not be possible if Murray signs an extension this summer because then the Nuggets will surely enter the second apron of luxury tax, which will pose a lot of trade restrictions for them. But there’s more to the story.

Bruce Brown’s Nuggets switch can be difficult because of KCP’s decision…

Apart from Murray’s extension, Denver’s luxury tax situation also depends on several other major financial decisions. The biggest one is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s pending extension. Although he has a $15.4 million player option for next season, KCP has significantly upped his market value by helping two teams become champions in the last four years. With that, he will be eyeing a bigger deal this summer either from the Nuggets or in free agency. While there have been no signs that either party wants to part ways, KCP might get an offer from other suitors that he might not be able to refuse.

However, if KCP stays, which seems more likely, the Nuggets will surely become a second-apron team. On top of that, if Reggie Jackson also opts into his player option and Vlatko Cancar stays, they will have only one roster spot available for next season. And due to the second apron restrictions, they will be unable to aggregate players in trades, making it difficult to make a move for a player like Brown. And we all know how much GM Calvin Booth regretted seeing Brown leave last year. “That blow was big.” After all, the 27-year-old was one of the key reasons why the Nuggets won their first title last season.

With so many financial restrictions, a reunion between the Nuggets and Bruce Brown seems rather unlikely.

The second apron is a restrictive roster-building rule that the league started along with a salary cap. While there are several aspects under the policy that teams need to adhere to, the biggest one is: Teams can only sign players for the minimum. This makes it difficult for teams to make any changes to their roster once they cross the second apron.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise to stardom. Keep checking this space for more such updates.