It’s hard to separate truth from rumors these days, but it seems like the Nuggets had some level of interest in trading for Jaylen Brown but didn’t want to part with Jamal Murray. That’s all fine and good, but the reason that trade kept getting floated is that the trade would have been pretty simple, with both guys at similar points in their careers, coming off All-NBA seasons, and in the midst of huge max contracts while clearly being the second-best player on their respective teams.
Not wanting to trade for Brown is a perfectly reasonable stance for Denver, but the problem is that the rest of the league largely felt the same way, which should be a very concerning sign for the trade value of Murray.
There’s no indication that the Nuggets want to, or have tried to trade Murray, but Boston clearly just came to the conclusion that you can’t build around two guys taking up well over 50% of the salary cap, and it’s not difficult to imagine Denver soon coming to a similar revelation.
With that being said, it’s scary to look at what the Celtics’ market was for Brown and think about how that would look for Murray. JB was the 2024 Finals MVP, a guy who has made multiple All-NBA teams and came in 6th place in MVP voting this season.
Murray's trade market likely completely underwhelming
He’s a versatile two-way wing at just 29 years old, and still, most teams around the league clearly feel that his value doesn’t match up to his contract. Jamal is basically the same age as Brown but has had a much longer injury history and hasn’t proven nearly as durable as JB over the years.
His contract is slightly lower than Brown’s, but only by about $7 million per season. Murray is still set to make $50.1 million, $53.8 million, and $58.5 million over the next three years, and with his age and injury history, that may be a tough sell to a lot of potential suitors.
Luckily, the Nuggets don’t seem intent on trading Jamal any time soon, and the roster still has plenty of talent and depth. For now. In this era designed for parity, teams have been hesitant to spend over the tax for too long. Denver is staring at a monstrous tax bill this season, and with a huge extension for Nikola Jokic looming next summer, that’s not going to change any time soon without a major shakeup.
Depending on how things progress on and off the court, there’s a real chance that the shakeup becomes a Murray trade. Based on the Celtics getting just Paul George, a first-round pick, a swap, and two seconds, Nuggets fans better hope Jamal ages gracefully, and the Kroenkes are willing to bust out the checkbook.
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