JULY 24: The extension is official, per a release (via e-mail and Twitter) from the team.
JUNE 30: The Nuggets have agreed to terms with guard Jamal Murray on a five-year, maximum-salary contract extension, agent Mike George tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The extension will take effect to start the 2020/21 league year.
While the exact value of that extension is not yet known, it would be worth $169.65MM based on the NBA’s current cap projection of $117MM for ’20/21, starting at $29.25MM in year one and increasing all the way up to $38.61MM by year five.
Murray, 22, has emerged as a foundational piece for the Nuggets since being selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2016 draft. In 2018/19, he established new career highs in PPG (18.2), APG (4.8), and RPG (4.2) over the course of 75 games (32.6 MPG). He and fellow franchise cornerstone Nikola Jokic helped lead Denver to a No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and came within one game of appearing in the conference finals.
While Denver clearly wanted to lock up a budding young star early, extending Murray now rather than waiting until the 2020 restricted free agent period will limit the team’s financial flexibility next season. Murray would have had a cap hold of approximately $13.3MM as a restricted free agent. Now that he has been extended, his new cap hit (projected to be $29MM+) will hit the books right away, eating into the Nuggets’ potential cap room.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Well deserved. Dudes so underrated. STAR in the league
His PER was only 16ish. What am I missing? I’ve never watched him play but am just getting back into the NBA
Volume shooter that plays hard and is loved by the city. Only going up in performance and skill
He works very well with the real star. Jokic needs a PG like him; the Nuggets were fortunate they were perfect for each other. The middling PER is surprising. Besides that, he seems to be the weak link defensively, as opposing teams went after him.
Denver does seem to have shown too much appreciation– like Lillard in Portland & Simmons in Philly with similar extensions. Wait a year at least!
Looks like Denver will have to trade Milsap if they want to add an impact player.
MPJ may be that piece needed to set Denver over the edge. Only time will tell.
Murray’s extension money doesnt kick in until 20/21 when Millsaps money comes off the books.
Right, but the cap space that summer will be nil because Murray contract.
That doesnt change the fact that they wont have to trade Millsap because he will still be a unrestricted free agent. If they want to free up cap space guys like Gary Harris, Will Barton would be more appropriate trade candidates. I dont see them trading anyone anytime soon. They have clearly shown this offseason that continuity will be the biggest addition to the 19/20 squad and are fully prepared to run it back with a team which was highly successful last season.
Are they making him rose rule eligible?
No word on that yet.
Have we received any clarification on this yet?
The full details should surface shortly, now that it’s been made official.
But the fact that there have still be no reports about it potentially being worth more than 25% makes me thinks Rose Rule language probably wasn’t included.
This is what’s wrong with the NBA and why I don’t watch.
Who ever heard of this guy?
It’s like annoint him with big money and he’s a big guy?
Nah…..
He’s not a great player, but he does some things great and he’s 22 years old and still ascending as a player. This contract will cover his age 24-28 seasons. You can argue the timing (cap hold vs salary), but this had to get done eventually and I think it’s a worthwhile trade off as long as the team got the 5 years (no player option). As a RFA, he’d have his choice of teams to give him a 3/1 offer sheet next summer. Not as good a contract from the team’s perspective.
I am not sure if he is worth a 170 million, but I would have taken him over Ben Simmons everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.