Grade the blockbuster trade proposal: Nuggets swap star guards with East contender

The closer we get to the regular season, the more that Jamal Murray’s contract situation is going to become a talking point. Shams Charania of the Athletic reported that a deal was basically done back during the season, but months later and still nothing.

The fact that a deal hasn’t gotten done yet as Murray is coming off an injury-plagued summer and is entering the final year of his deal at least suggests that there are some sticking points on both sides. If the Nuggets were offering Murray the full max extension, there’s no reason to believe it wouldn’t have been signed.

If Murray is truly going to enter the final year of his deal, chances are he’s going to enter free agency and the Nuggets would risk losing another key player for nothing. That is simply not something the team can let happen, so if they aren’t going to pay him, they may actually have to consider trading Murray.

Trade speculation around Murray is only going to grow every second that he remains without an extension and we are already starting to see proposals pour in. One blockbuster deal that has been sweeping social media was first proposed on Fanspo and picked up by Hoops Hype.

Nuggets trade Jamal Murray and Peyton Watson to Cleveland for Darius Garland

At first glance, this return for Murray, one of the most important players in franchise history, looks extremely underwhelming. Garland is young and unproven, especially in the playoffs. He’s not a great defensive player and he hasn’t shown the greatest ability to play without the ball on offense. 

But still, Garland is a very good player, one who has made an all-star game (something Murray has never done) and at just 24, likely hasn’t hit his prime yet. His fit in Cleveland alongside Donovan Mitchell has been less than ideal as well. 

There’s a real shot that getting to play his natural role of point guard full-time in an offense with Nikola Jokic could elevate his game to another level. He’s also locked up for four more guaranteed seasons at a pretty reasonable cost of $163.2 million.

By contrast, Murray’s new max deal that he’s seeking would pay him $209 million over the next four years. That’s a pretty big difference and there’s a case to be made that Garland is just entering his prime while Murray may be exiting his.

The injury concerns with Murray are very real. He hasn’t been a reliable regular-season co-star for Jokic and he’s been injured as often as not come playoff time. He was incredible in the 2023 Finals run, but the Nuggets may think it’s best to strike while the iron is hot rather than paying for past performance.

This deal would be an overpay for the Nuggets if they are going to move Murray

On the other hand, Murray is only 27 and although his injuries have come at unfortunate times, there’s no reason to believe he shouldn’t be able to recover and get back to the player we saw two seasons ago.

Throwing in Watson just puts this deal at a little too rich for my blood if I’m the Nuggets. Unless they are more concerned than they’ve let on, they should just pay Murray and continue building organically.

But again, if the contract isn’t going to get signed then the team needs to be realistic and avoid a disaster scenario of Murray leaving in free agency. They can shop for a better deal, but someone like Darius Garland may be the best player they could get back.

Nuggets trade grade: C-