Nuggets may finally make bold Jamal Murray trade after owner drops hint

Josh Kroenke spoke with the media on Friday, and one quote in particular is making its rounds on social media. He said, "Everything's on the table right now, outside of trading Nikola." A lot of Denver Nuggets fans (and fans of other teams) read that and automatically thought about a Jamal Murray trade.

He did not specifically say that Denver will actively try to trade Murray this summer, but that seems to be a possibility, or else he would've listed the point guard's name with Jokić.

You can understand why teams perked up at that. Murray, 29, averaged 25.4 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game in 35.4 minutes across 75 contests. He shot 48.3% from the field and 43.5% from three. All of those numbers are career highs, except for his minutes per game, as he averaged 35.5 in 48 games in 2020-21.

He has three more seasons left on his current contract: Murray will make $50.1 million in 2026-27, $53.8 million in 2027-28, and $57.5 million in 2028-29. It might take some maneuvering, but that wouldn't stop teams from going in on the All-Star guard who knows how to take his game to another level in the playoffs.

Has Jamal Murray already played his final game for the Nuggets?

My answer to that question is simple: I hope not.

Denver might feel like it has to do its due diligence by exploring all possible avenues this summer, but a Murray trade shouldn't actually happen. Don't dangle his name in talks, either. That could damage the relationship.

Kroenke made sure to point out that running it back is one of the options on the table, so it's not like the Nuggets are set on having a fire sale by making every player not named Jokić available. The world isn't ending, though it may feel that way if Denver trades Aaron Gordon, which feels far more likely than a Murray trade.

Since Jokić is still committed to the Nuggets and they are committed to him, they need to run it back with him and Murray. That doesn't mean they won't trade a couple of players, but one of those shouldn't be Jamal, although he'd net them the most in return. That shouldn't be their concern, not with Nikola still playing at a high level.

Who could Denver realistically get that would be better than Murray at helping them win another championship? Exactly.

Hopefully, Jamal is still around by the time next season starts, but if what Kroenke said today wasn't enough proof, that's not a guarantee. He could decide to take things in a completely different direction, parting with Murray in the process. It's best to prepare for that to happen, so that you won't be totally blindsided if it does.

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