You already know that the Denver Nuggets could shake things up this summer by trading a player or two. I'm talking about Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, or maybe even Christian Braun if they find a team willing to take on his contract. What I'm not talking about is trading Jamal Murray, especially not trading him to the Warriors.
Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports said that Golden State "could be a surprise suitor" for Murray if he does hit the trade market. He added that an NBA executive told the outlet the point guard has the most value (besides Nikola Jokić) and that trading him would allow the team to "start making real changes."
To be clear, the Nuggets haven't made Jamal available. While it is true that trading him would give Denver more than it could get for other players like Gordon or Braun, the front office shouldn't be willing to move on from Murray.
It might not seem like it after watching the past few years, but the goal is to try to win another title with Jokić. He's the most important player in the organization, but Jamal is right behind him. That duo is, and has been, special for a long time.
Nuggets shouldn't try to trade Jamal Murray this offseason
If Denver did plan to hit the reset button, then a Murray trade would probably be in the cards. The front office could surprise us all by making him available, though that truly doesn't seem like a real possibility. And even if it were, why send him to the Warriors for Jimmy Butler? The draft capital would be nice for a rebuilding team, but that's not what they are.
The Nuggets will have to get even more creative this year than they did last summer when they retooled the roster. They don't have the flexibility to upgrade the team around Jokić, so they'll need to make a trade. No one really wants to see Gordon go, but that could be the direction they take after his injury troubles over the past couple of years. That would be hard enough to accept.
Trading Jamal, though? That shouldn't even be in the cards, not unless he wants out. If things go south during next season, then we can have that conversation, but it's too soon to do all of that, especially with him coming off his best individual season. Denver still very much needs him.
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