Nuggets News: Jamal Murray May “Leverage” $208M Extension by Exploiting Major Void, Amid Aaron Gordon Uncertainty

Denver Nuggets were supposed to offer Jamal Murray a four-year, $209 million max contract extension. But that was months ago, and an uneasy silence has settled heavily since then. Despite helping the franchise win their maiden Championship, the decision to extend his stay is not an easy one for the team. A lot of it has to do with his injury plagued last season, that carried over to a string of unsatisfactory performances during the Paris Olympics.

However, veteran insider Brian Windhorst believes JM could still turn the tides in his favor by exploiting one major void in the trade market right now, even though Aaron Gordon‘s uncertainty looms closer.

Windy finds the situation alarming, “That’s a potentially rough situation, and this is one of those things that can affect a player and affect a team.”

Maybe, the Nuggets front office has become hesitant after seeing Jamal Murray struggle without Nikola Jokic as he averaged only 6 points in Paris and couldn’t hit the double-digit mark even once. He had 3.8 assists, and 2.3 turnovers per game, shooting 29% from the field and 14% from three-point range, compared to last season’s 21.2 points on 48.1 and 42.5 per cent shooting.

Add that to his injury history, limiting him to playing only 59 games past season, and affecting him on the world’s biggest stage; it might be too risky for the Nuggets to offer him that kind of money. Franchise President Josh Kroenke also confirmed Murray’s lackluster form in France was solely due to injuries. “When you’re going against the best in the world, whether it’s in the NBA playoffs or in the Olympics, you’re gonna get (opponents) best shot,” Kroenke said to the Denver Post before adding, “And if you’re not 100 per cent and you know you want to be out there still, you’re gonna try to fight through it like Jamal is … but I know he wasn’t 100 per cent.”

However, Windy has still held out hope revealing the one leverage point for Murray despite the concerns, “One of the lessons I’ve learned in watching these contract negotiations is it’s very effective in the NBA if you’re a star, even if you’re not a star-level player even if you’re a high-level role player, part of leverage is the lack of ability to be replaced.” Yes, as injury-prone as Murray is, the Nuggets do not have a better option available in the market.

Case in point: In 445 games, Jokic has averaged 21.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists with James Murray. By March 2023, the players were already being considered one of the Top-10 NBA duos. Then in June that same year, in their Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, they became the first duo to record 30-point triple doubles in NBA history. Together, they scored 66 points, 31 rebounds, 20 points, and their total scoring came on 65.9% true shooting (around eight full points above league average).

This gives the point guard a massive advantage because, as Windy pointed out on The Hoop Collective, “When he’s around Jokic, they’re a Championship team.” Moreover, the Nuggets will soon have another star to worry about Gordon too!

Big decisions are incoming for the Denver Nuggets alongside Jamal Murray conundrum, after KCP’s exit

As of now, it looks like the Nuggets want to see how the upcoming season plays out before they make a concrete decision about Murray’s extension. However, that could add pressure on them in the coming days, as Aaron Gordon will be eligible for an extension as he enters the third year of his contract. Because of the available player option for the final year of his deal, the Nuggets would want to secure his future as soon as possible. More so because they have already lost a key player from their Championship roster in KCP.

On top of that, Aaron Gordon has emerged as a star for the team ever since he joined. Playing his role perfectly during their Championship run, he averaged 13.3 points and 6 rebounds in last year’s playoffs. And even though the Nuggets failed to win the title this year, the player’s numbers improved to 14.3 points and over 7 rebounds. Most importantly, his connection with Nikola Jokic has been very productive, as the Joker loves to set up plays for Gordon to score.

With some major financial decisions pending this summer, the next few weeks could be very crucial for the franchise’s future. What do you think they should do to secure Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger