Denver Nuggets GM on Jamal Murray’s contract
Even though the Denver Nuggets are NBA champions, not much praise has been sung to their general manager. It’s not easy being in the front office, but Calvin Booth has done a phenomenal job in piecing together a championship caliber roster around Nikola Jokic.
One piece that the Nuggets have is one of the best secondary guards in the NBA in Jamal Murray. He’s one of the greatest playoff performers of all time, but even considering his playoff success, he has not gotten on an All-NBA team or even an All-Star game.
Nikola Jokic has never had an All-Star on his roster outside of himself. Murray is the closest Jokic has ever had to an All-Star caliber player, and Murray definitely can make the All-Star game this year with all of the recognition he’s earned in the playoffs.
Jamal Murray has only two years left on his contract, and he’ll probably want to come back to the Denver Nuggets given the success he and Jokic have had. The Denver Nuggets are a championship caliber team, so why would he want to go somewhere else?
Murray will be handed out a ton of money on his next contract, and that could be a super-max contract. If Murray makes an All-Star or All-NBA team this season, he will be eligible for a super-max contract.
Calvin Booth was asked about Murray’s potential super-max deal that he could earn next offseason, and he was very optimistic that he could earn himself that kind of money.
"“We’re anticipating that we’re probably paying him the super-max, he’ll probably make All-NBA. It’s going to be a hit to our salary cap, but I love seeing people reach their potential when they play the way he can.”"
Paying Jamal Murray that amount of money is scary considering Michael Porter Jr. is currently on a max contract and Aaron Gordon is making a good amount of money, as well. Once Porter and Gordon have their contracts expire, they’ll want a lot more money, which could hinder the Denver Nuggets. That’s not even considering Jokic’s massive contract, which is the second largest contract in NBA history behind Boston’s Jaylen Brown.
One question is if Jamal Murray deserves a super-max or not. Yes, he’s a talented offensive player and an excellent secondary star to Nikola Jokic, but a super-max for a player who won’t even be Denver’s best player is a bit questionable. No disrespect to Murray, but it is a lot of money at the end of the day, and that could cripple Denver’s ability to sign or trade for players after the deal is signed.
With two super-max deals for the Denver Nuggets, it would be interesting to see how the front office manages their other players. If Murray can replicate what he did in the playoffs during the regular season and on, there’s no doubt he would be an All-NBA caliber player and could make multiple All-Star teams.
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Considering Calvin Booth has high expectations and praise for Jamal Murray, he can be a super-max type of player. Will he earn that contract? Well, that’ll remain to be seen until Murray signs it.