Popular podcast nails it with bold Jamal Murray take

It’s crazy that Jamal Murray went all the way into September without a new contract extension in place and appeared primed to enter the final year of his deal, then hit free agency. The fervor around the situation had started to reach a boiling point and most national NBA media and discourse was starting to revolve around the suddenly panic-inducing situation going on in Denver.

Luckily, the deal got done and Nuggets fans no longer have to hear about the impending disaster. But that chatter has now been replaced with breakdowns of the contract and what it means for the Nuggets moving forward; both good and bad.

Lowe Post podcast breaks down the Jamal Murray contract extension

One of the most prominent names in NBA podcasting got to the deal on a recent episode as Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks talked Nuggets for almost 20 minutes on the newest Lowe Post podcast. They largely agreed with the general sentiment; the price tag may seem high, but this was a no-brainer for the Nuggets.

The team had no real options and despite Murray’s recent struggles and injury issues, he remains a 27-year-old star who fits perfectly with Nikola Jokic and has already helped the team win a title. That’s not something you mess around with and both Lowe and Marks were more complimentary of the deal than anything else.

Lowe calls Murray biggest "wild card" and picks Nuggets to win west (with one major caveat)

Lowe went a step further and made a bold proclamation that with the new deal in place, Murray has become the single biggest wild card in the NBA this season. He explained that he thinks Murray’s synergy with Jokic has become underrated and that if Zach knew he’d get 95% of the title-winning version of Murray, he’d pick the Nuggets to win the Western Conference.

This is a rare level-headed take from the media (unsurprising from Lowe) and a nice national vote of confidence in the Nuggets. It seems the team is being slept on and everyone wants to move on to newer and shinier toys like the Thunder, Wolves, and Mavericks.

But the reality of the situation is that the Nuggets were the best team in the league two years ago. They still have the best player in the world - by far - and it’s fair to argue that the only thing that stopped them from repeating last year was health and fatigue.

If the Nuggets can come back fresh, hungry, and perhaps most importantly, healthy - especially Murray - then there is no reason to think they aren’t still an elite team. Sure, KCP was a big loss and there are some unproven pieces in the rotation, but the core four players are still intact and in their primes. It’s just nice to hear someone in the national media speaking some sense when it comes to the Nuggets.