Q >> Did Sacramento know about the Jonas Valanciunas/Europe situation when they made the trade? The whole thing seems shady from that end.

— Andrew, Denver

Bennett >> I honestly don’t know for sure how much the Kings did or didn’t know ahead of time. That part definitely remains murky, and I can see how it’s tempting to assume they were stealth-dumping their problem on Denver’s doorstep. But my educated guess is that they couldn’t have known Panathinaikos was lurking. Why would they have made the trade if they did? The whole purpose of the deal for them was to shed salary. There is no other justification for trading a sturdy, dependable backup center for one who played 16 underwhelming games last season.

By turning Valanciunas into Dario Saric, the Kings saved about $4.7 million in cap space for 2025-26. If they had known Valanciunas was yearning for the beaches of Greece (or the increase in guaranteed money), they could have hypothetically reached a contract buyout agreement instead of trading him. Sacramento would’ve had the same leverage that Denver now has, except with actual incentive to release him from his NBA contract.

There’s no telling exactly how that would’ve played out but if Valanciunas earnestly wants to play overseas and would’ve willingly forfeited his entire salary, Sacramento could’ve conceivably saved $10.4 million in cap space. That’s more than twice what was saved by taking on Saric’s contract.

Q >> How much do you think Christian Braun will get paid on his next contract?

— David, Denver

Bennett >> The salary cap is expected to increase by only 7% in 2026-27, which could rain on the Braun extension parade a bit. I do expect the Nuggets and Braun to get a deal done while he’s eligible this offseason, but the number will be interesting.

Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus recently projected four years and $94 million for an average annual value of $23.5 million. That might be on the low end, though. Spotrac’s Keith Smith projected Braun to be one of only five players in the 2022 draft class to eclipse $30 million annually on his second contract (at four years and $120 million), along with Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Walker Kessler. ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks also offered a valuation of “at least $30 million per year,” but that was notably when the cap was expected to increase by a larger percentage.

Due diligence for the Nuggets is to negotiate. They’re already on the hook for at least $171.6 million in 2026-27, spread across five contracts — even after they improved their cap sheet with the Michael Porter Jr. trade.

If Braun’s salary does exceed $30 million, the 2026-27 starting lineup plus Zeke Nnaji will cost more than $200 million, with the second apron estimated to be $222.4 million. That doesn’t account for Peyton Watson’s possible extension, Jonas Valanciunas’ non-guaranteed salary and four rookie-scale contracts with team options on them. It’s very much within the realm of possibility that Denver ends up with a second-apron payroll and multiple roster spots still open.

Braun is already a versatile and valuable player with room to keep improving. His screen navigation as a lead defensive guard is on an upward trajectory. On offense, he can boost his 3-point shooting reputation by maintaining his efficiency at higher volume — and by punishing defenses that ignore him in the playoffs more than he did this year. I don’t believe that his on-ball ability is fully developed yet, either.

If one thing’s clear after last season, it’s that Braun is highly committed to making those strides. Denver should want him to be part of its long-term future alongside Nikola Jokic, who’s an advocate for the young guard. One way to possibly get Braun’s AAV down could be to offer him five years for a higher total dollar amount.