Bruce Brown shares how he almost signed a $50 million contract with the Lakers

Denver Nuggets guard Bruce Brown had options – which included Los Angeles Lakers — after winning the 2023 NBA Finals Doc Brown regrets leaving the Nuggets in free agency for a deal with the Indiana Pacers, he recently revealed that he received an offer from the Lakers.

Brown says the Lakers have offered the starting position a $50 million dealhe said, according to DNVR Nuggets.

“I went to the Lakers after the championship. I went to the Lakers,” Brown said. “Free agency started and they called me. Darwin Hamm is the head coach. And they wanted me to be the starting point guard. I got LeBron, I got AD, I got guys where they went to the Western Conference Finals. I want to win again.

“I can be the starting quarterback for this, and all I have to do is give guys the ball and get out of the way. The same thing I did here, and I thought, I’m going to do it. I went there on a three-year deal.”

However, Brown’s agent received a counter offer from the Indiana Pacers shortly thereafter.

“It was so quick because as soon as I got off the phone, it was supposed to be released as soon as you said yes. So, I called my financial advisor. I mean, we have to find places in LA, which is super expensive. But the good thing was that I lived in New York. So, he was talking to me about my budget. As soon as I got off the phone, my agent called, “H” called again from India. It could be a crazy deal.” Stop it.

“He calls me back, he’s like two years, 40 (million). I’m like, ‘what the fuck? What do you mean, two years, $40 million? Where do we sign?’ Let’s do it.”

“I went to the Lakers. … It was 3 years, 50 million dollars.”

Bruce Brown says he almost left the Nuggets to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis after winning the 2023 championship 😲

(via @DNVR_Nuggets)pic.twitter.com/tlPFK0mKzU

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 18, 2025

Pacers guard Tyrese Halliburton called Brown to tell him how eager he was to have him come amid final contract negotiations. The Pacers and Brown eventually agreed to a two-year, $45 million deal. The Lakers, who added a third year, offered a three-year, $50 million deal.

Bruce Brown admits he regrets leaving the Nuggets in free agency

After being traded to the Raptors in 2023-24 and the Pelicans last season, Bruce Brown agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Nuggets over the summer. Back in a Nuggets uniform for the first time since winning the championship in 2023, Brown admitted that he regrets leavinghe told TSN Sports’ Kayla Gregg.

“On media day, they asked me, ‘when did you think about going to Denver?’ And I said, when I got to Toronto, and it wasn’t, like, I don’t want to go to Toronto. I went to India. I finally chose where I could go, and in three months, they were trading me, and I was like, ‘where the hell did I go? I could have stayed in Denver and been happy in Toronto,” Brown said.

While Brown enjoyed his time with the Raptors, he was disappointed when the Pacers traded him, which made him think he should never have left the Nuggets.