Much ado has been made about Jamal Murray and his contract situation. Murray is currently with Team Canada preparing to play in the Paris Olympics later this month, but he’s set to enter the final season of his contract with the Nuggets for this coming NBA season.
Murray is eligible to sign an extension and Shams Charania of the Athletic reported back on draft night that Murray and the Nuggets were close to agreeing to a max extension for four years and $209 million. But weeks went by and the deal never got done. Then talks were paused as Murray went off to join his Canadian teammates.
Questions started being asked about what was delaying the deal and why no agreement had been reached. Once Murray went off for the Olympics the speculation ramped up even more and there were reports that Murray and the team were at odds and that the Nuggets weren’t willing to give Jamal a fully guaranteed max.
Calvin Booth expresses confidence in extending Jamal Murray
But in a recent interview, Nuggets GM Calvin Booth did his best to shut down any noise and rumors about discontent. Booth stated that he fully expects the team to sign Murray to an extension after the Olympics are over and added that he thinks “it will be pretty easy” and that he doesn’t think “it will be much of a negotiation”.
This is great for Nuggets fans to hear as Booth is extremely blunt and transparent for an NBA front office member. He famously telegraphed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s departure before free agency began and he hasn’t shied away from answering tough questions in the past. The fact that he is this confident in a deal getting done bodes very well.
The Nuggets cannot afford to lose Murray
Nothing is set in stone, but Nuggets fans had their fingers hovering over the panic button after some recent reports and this should make them sleep a little easier. This likely indicates that the Nuggets are willing to offer the fully guaranteed max. It’s a bit of a scary deal given Murray’s injury history, but at the same time, they can’t afford to mess around with their star guard during the prime of his and Nikola Jokic’s career.
All in all, this is very good news and Nuggets fans can breathe a deep sigh of relief. It’s been a painful couple of offseasons, but locking up the core players is key. As long as Jokic and Murray (and Aaron Gordon to a lesser extent) are in tow, this team should always have a chance to compete.