Should Denver Nuggets fans be (kinda) rooting against Jamal Murray?

Jamal Murray is about to enter his eighth season as a member of the Denver Nuggets. At just 26 years old, the Canadian guard has accomplished quite a bit in his pro career. He’s coming off of an impressive playoff run, which helped the Nuggets capture their first-ever NBA title.

At the end of next season, Murray could enter unrestricted free agency for the first time. However, the Nuggets would be able to prevent the risk of their starting point guard leaving by signing him to a contract extension.

The value of that extension has yet to be determined.

Murray is able to make himself eligible for a supermax contract, should he make an All-NBA team this season, as laid out by ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

“If Murray meets the supermax criteria by earning All-NBA honors this season, he would become eligible to sign a five-year, $303 million extension in the 2024 offseason,” Marks wrote. “He received no All-NBA votes in 2022-23. Murray is also eligible up until Oct. 23 to sign a three-year, $145 million extension that would start in 2025-26”

Should Denver Nuggets be rooting for Jamal Murray to miss out on All-NBA honors?

Probably not.

Even though Murray’s contract would come a lot cheaper if he was to miss out on the All-NBA goal, fans should be behind him in full force this season.

In the case that he’s selected to one of those All-NBA teams, then he and the Nuggets can get to work on the new extension as early as next summer. If not, then there’s an increased risk that he will wind up testing the waters as a free agent in 2025.

If you’re looking for some sort of example to gauge this situation off of, look no further than the extension that the Boston Celtics gave to Jaylen Brown this summer. Brown signed the largest contract in league history, to remain in Boston through 2029.

However, it’s a double-edged sword because of how the rest of the NBA values Brown. In Boston, he’s definitely worth all $304 million of that new deal, but to other teams, he might not be. That lucrative extension could handcuff the Celtics from being able to trade Brown away if they decide that they want to do so, or if he requests a move.

The Nuggets would find themselves in a nearly identical situation with Murray. He’d be well worth the signing for them, but other franchises would certainly hesitate to cough up assets to bring him and that big paycheck to town.