Nuggets Notes: Murray, Grant, Millsap, Porter

The five-year, $170MM extension the Nuggets gave to Jamal Murray last summer could be a clue as to how they’ll handle their four free agents this year, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. There were many throughout the league who thought Denver overpaid when the deal with Murray was announced, but he has proved capable of being part of the team’s foundation and silenced any remaining critics with his performance in the playoffs.

“When we can, we take care of our own,” president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said. “And we do it with a smile on our face, and we do it cognizant of how it could affect the relationship both short- and long-term. Certainly we could’ve taken a different approach. ‘Go prove it, go earn it.’ We thought he had already earned it. … You can be a bit too cute at times if you don’t take care of the guys that have gotten you here.”

That should be good news for Jerami Grant, Paul Millsap, Mason Plumlee and Torrey Craig, who will all be on the open market this offseason. Connelly and general manager Calvin Booth have both stated that they want to hang on to as many of their free agents as they can. Connelly added that Denver has become a more desirable city to play in as the team has improved, and he has received increased interest from players and agents.

There’s more from Denver:

• Grant proved his worth in the postseason and is very likely to be re-signed, Singer writes in a mailbag column. He states that the Nuggets wouldn’t have won either playoff series without Grant, adding that they don’t have the resources to replace him with a similar talent if he leaves. Singer expects a new deal to be somewhere around $64MM over four years.
• The market will determine whether Millsap returns to Denver, Singer adds in the same piece. The Nuggets probably can’t afford to keep all four free agents without going into luxury tax territory, and Singer suggests another team could probably land the veteran forward with an offer in the $10-12MM range. If the Nuggets don’t keep Plumlee, Singer sees plenty of other options at backup center, including Meyers Leonard, Kelly Olynyk, Aron Baynes, Enes Kanter and Robin Lopez.
• Sean Keeler of The Denver Post talks to insiders around the league about Michael Porter Jr. and finds a wide range of opinions on the future of the 22-year-old rookie.