The Denver Nuggets are at risk of getting hurt by one of the NBA's newest rules. Over the summer, the league put its new Collective Bargaining Agreement into place, making several changes to different things about the association.
One of the most significant changes was that all players must appear in 65 total games in order to become eligible for major season awards, such as the MVP or All-NBA team selection. The new wrinkle to the league's accolade-selection process was put into place with the goal of preventing players from sitting out games without having a major reason to do so.
How does this affect the Nuggets?
Well, Jamal Murray's future with the team could be hanging in the balance.
Jamal Murray's next contract with the Denver Nuggets could be impacted by the rule change
So far this season, Murray has already missed 14 games for the Nuggets. The bulk of his absences are due to the hamstring strain that he sustained back in November of 2023.
According to the new rule, if the Canadian guard misses three more games then he will not be eligible for All-NBA selection, which is pretty substantial.
If he was to be selected to one of the three All-NBA teams, then Murray would become eligible to sign a five-year $303 million supermax contract extension this summer.
ESPN's Bobby Marks broke down the implications back in September.
“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”
In the case that Murray doesn't play enough games and isn't selected to one of those All-NBA teams, then there’s an increased risk that he will wind up testing the waters as a free agent in 2025.
Through his first 24 appearances, the 26-year-old has built a decent case to earn the honor. He's averaged 20.6 points, 6.2 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 47.3% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc.
However, he does have some steep competition with players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, Stephen Curry, Jalen Brunson, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Tyrese Maxey, as well as others all trying to accomplish the same thing.