Jamal Murray has never been an All-Star or made an All-NBA team. That shouldn’t stop Denver from locking him up this summer.
The 26-year-old Murray has two years and $73 million remaining on the rookie extension he signed in 2019. Murray delivered on the new deal right away, dominating the 2020 playoffs in Orlando with two 50-point performances, which earned him the nickname “Bubble Murray.”
Denver reached the conference finals that year, and when they added Aaron Gordon in 2020-21, the Nuggets looked like a title contender. But Murray tore his ACL in April, and missed the remainder of that season and the next. This year, as Murray got back to basketball, “Bubble Murray” was used derisively, as if he was only good during the sterile, fan-free conditions of the NBA Bubble.
This spring, he has proved that “Bubble Murray” is really just “Playoff Murray.” He’s averaging 27.9 points per game, with 6.2 assists and 1.6 steals, and shooting 4.75 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from deep and 91.9 percent from the free throw line. He’s still lighting it up, scoring 23 points in the 4th quarter of Game 2 to beat the Lakers, even though he was ill.
Or as Denver coach Michael Malone put it, he was “a grown ass man” with an ear infection.
The biggest difference with Murray this year is his defense, as evidenced by his steal numbers. Teams still go after him, but at 6’4″, 215 pounds, Murray isn’t easy to push around.
With Murray having worked so hard to come back from his injury even better than before, he’s a guy the Nuggets should want to keep as long as possible. Even with two years left on his contract, Denver can lock up Murray through 2028, when he’ll still be 31 years old.
With the cap expected to rise by as much as ten percent per year after the league’s new TV deal, Murray is a bargain even at a maximum extension, which would add three years and $144 million to his deal.
On The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Tim McMahon called him “one of the best playoff performers in the league.” Regarding Murray’s max, McMahon said, “I’ll offer that. Maybe Rocky would have to take a pay cut.”
Rocky is the highest-paid mascot in the NBA at $625K, which proves Denver will pay a premium for athleticism and creative shot-making.
Murray is even more exciting than Rocky. This summer, the Nuggets should guarantee another half-decade in Denver for Murray.
