Jamal Murray

Nuggets Notes: Championship, Porter, Gordon, Booth

June 13th, 2023 at 9:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets‘ championship victory on Monday represented a major financial boon for a pair of the team’s forwards.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the final year of Michael Porter Jr.‘s five-year contract with the Nuggets is now fully guaranteed. Previously, only $12MM of Porter’s $40.8MM cap hit for 2026/27 had been guaranteed, but since Porter appeared in at least 62 games (plus 75% of Denver’s playoff contests) and the club won a title, he’s assured of the full $40.8MM.

Meanwhile, Aaron Gordon earned a $1MM bonus as a result of the championship, Marks tweets. That will bump Gordon’s cap charge for 2023/24 from $21.2MM to $22.2MM, since that $1MM incentive will now be considered “likely” (rather than unlikely) for next season. However, the Nuggets wouldn’t be on the hook for that bonus money next season unless they win another title.

Here’s more on the NBA’s new champions:

Porter averaged just 9.6 points per game on .328/.143/.750 shooting in five NBA Finals games, but his performance showed that he’s capable of contributing in other ways, which bodes well for his future development, writes Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. Porter grabbed 13 rebounds in Game 1 and again in Game 5, matching his season high.
After playing a major part in helping the Nuggets secure the first title in franchise history, star guard Jamal Murray said on Monday that he believes the club is capable of winning more championships with this core. “I knew once we were healthy, we could do it,” Murray, who missed all of the 2021/22 season due to a torn ACL, told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “So this was long overdue. … I think this is the first of many.”
Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic take a look at all the moves and decisions that led to Denver’s first championship, including the promotion of assistant GM Calvin Booth after the departure of veteran executive Tim Connelly in 2022. “When Tim left, I remember talking to (Nuggets governor) Josh (Kroenke), and saying, ‘Listen, this is your call, Josh, but what I’m telling you as a head coach who has been here for seven years, we’re heading in the right direction, I really hope that Calvin Booth is given the opportunity to take over,'” Michael Malone told The Athletic. “I said, ‘I know him, he knows me. He knows our players. He knows you.’ (Booth) did a great job of taking all that and saying, ‘OK, we’re in a good spot. But how do we go from good to great? How do we make this even better?’ And Calvin had the balls to do that, man.”
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) preview the roster and contract issues facing the Nuggets this offseason, including Bruce Brown‘s potential free agency and Jamal Murray’s extension eligibility. In case you missed it, Brown expressed a desire to remain in Denver following Monday’s victory.

Nuggets Win First Title, Jokic Named MVP

June 12th, 2023 at 10:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets secured their first championship on Monday night, completing a 4-1 series victory over the Heat with a 94-89 victory. The Nuggets joined the NBA in 1976 after the league’s merger with the ABA.

Nikola Jokic, the league’s two-time Most Valuable Player in the regular season, was named the MVP of the Finals, NBA Communications tweets. He had 28 points, 16 rebounds and four assists in the clinching victory. For the series, Jokic averaged 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists per night.

Jokic and the team’s other star, Jamal Murray, carried the Nuggets throughout the playoffs. However, the team’s role players made some of the biggest plays in Game 5.

Bruce Brown had the go-ahead put-back in the late going and hit clinching free throws. In between, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a key steal and made two clutch free throws.

Denver is well-positioned to make a run at back-to-back titles and beyond. Jokic, Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. are all signed through at least the 2024/25 season. Caldwell-Pope has two more years left on his contract, though he can opt out next summer.

There’s a good chance Brown will go elsewhere. He will almost certainly decline his $6.8MM option and the team doesn’t own his Bird rights, limiting its ability to offer much of a raise.

Jeff Green and a handful of other veteran reserves will be unrestricted free agents, though the Nuggets have some quality young players on rookie contracts poised to take on bigger roles, including Christian Braun and Peyton Watson.

The Heat have some key players entering free agency, most notably Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Kevin Love.

With the Finals decided, the 2023 NBA offseason is officially underway. The draft will be held in 10 days with free agency beginning the following week.

Nuggets Notes: Potential Dynasty, Jackson, Reserves, Kamagate

June 12th, 2023 at 12:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets are one victory away from their first NBA title, but they have the foundation in place to win several more, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Hollinger notes that the team’s core players are all in their prime with Nikola Jokic at 28, Aaron Gordon at 27, Jamal Murray at 26 and Michael Porter Jr. at 24. All four are signed for at least two more seasons, and Denver isn’t facing any significant tax issues despite having three max contracts.

The only expected loss from this year’s rotation is Bruce Brown, a free agent addition last summer, who’s expected to turn down his $6.8MM player option and test the market again. The Nuggets don’t own Brown’s Bird rights and won’t be able to compete with the offers he’s likely to receive.

They may be in the same position with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope next year, Hollinger adds. Denver worked out an extension with the veteran guard after acquiring him from Washington, but he has a $15.4MM player option for 2024/25 that he might decide to decline.

Hollinger points out that Nuggets have navigated the cap by amassing young talent on affordable contracts. Late first-round picks Christian Braun and Peyton Watson will make a combined $4.5MM next season, and they both appear ready to become consistent rotation pieces.

There’s more from Denver:

Reggie Jackson hasn’t played much since signing with the Nuggets after a trade and a buyout in February, but the 33-year-old guard is happy to still be in the league, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Jackson thought about retiring when he was with the Pistons as persistent ankle injuries kept him off the court. “I can’t believe I’m here now,” he said. “Especially after Detroit, I wasn’t sure I wanted to play anymore and then being resurrected in L.A. (with the Clippers). The build-up there, the fun there. Then being traded, it’s coming full circle.”’
Denver’s bench players have contributed to the championship run by not making waves about their playing time, observes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Jackson, DeAndre Jordan, Thomas Bryant, Ish Smith and others have been content with limited minutes and sometimes none at all. Jones adds that the only Nuggets player who has been unhappy with his role this season was Bones Hyland, who was traded in February.
Ismael Kamagate, whom the Nuggets selected with the 46th pick last year, is finalizing an agreement to play for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan next season, tweets Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. A recent report indicated that he likely wasn’t in Denver’s plans for 2023/24.

Nuggets Notes: Murray, Brown, Jokic, Trade

June 11th, 2023 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets dispelled any thought that they’re a one-man or two-man team during a crucial stretch of Game 4 with Nikola Jokic on the bench, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. As they did most of the night, the Heat blitzed Jamal Murray on the pick-and-roll, trying to take him out of the offense. That allowed Aaron Gordon to score a team-high 27 points, while Bruce Brown added 21, including 11 in the fourth quarter.

“They were giving Jamal so much attention that let’s get Jamal off the ball, let Bruce make some plays,” coach Michael Malone said. “… Maybe our offense may not be as beautiful as it is with Nikola, but the five guys that are out there are defending.”

The Nuggets managed to keep the game even during the five minutes without Jokic, something that rarely happened during the regular season. It was the latest accomplishment for a roster that has become convinced that it’s worthy of capturing a title.

“We’re just ready to win a championship,” Murray said. “We have the tools to do it. It’s been on our minds for a while. We’re just locked in. I don’t think you’ve got to overthink it. We’re just dialed in, ready to win.”

There’s more from Denver:

Brown made an impression on the Nuggets with his performance in last year’s postseason, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. That resulted in a two-year, $13.2MM offer from Denver with a player option that might have Brown back on the market this summer. “I watched him in the playoffs last year (with the Nets) against Boston, saw his impact of guarding guys like (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown, but his ability to facilitate, play with the ball, play off the ball, make shots,” Malone said. “And the one thing I know about Bruce … he’s not afraid.”
Former NBA player turned agent Mike Miller takes credit for coming up with the “Joker” nickname for Jokic, Singer adds in a subscriber-only story. Miller, who was a veteran in Denver when Jokic broke into the league, quickly recognized that his talent and feel for the game were unique. “Just how good he was and how poised he was and how easy the game came to him at a young age,” Miller recalled. “And that to me was what made him special even early.”
The Nuggets are on the verge of the first title in franchise history, but this week’s draft pick trade with the Thunder shows that they’re working to win as many rings as possible before Jokic retires, says Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post.

Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Brown, Murray, Braun, Kamagate

June 10th, 2023 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray looked relatively mortal in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, combining for a series-low 38 points on 13-of-36 (36.1%) shooting as they faced increased attention from Heat defenders.

However, Denver still pulled out a victory thanks in large part to contributions from complementary players like Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown. Gordon scored a game-high 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting while also dishing six assists. Brown was 8-of-11 from the floor for 21 points. As Ramona Shelburne of ESPN details, Gordon has exceeded the expectations the Nuggets had when they acquired him from Orlando at the 2021 trade deadline.

“We didn’t realize how talented he was,” Nuggets GM Calvin Booth told Shelburne after Game 4. “We didn’t realize what a consummate teammate he was and how willing he was to sacrifice.”

As for Brown, he became the latest reserve guard to play a starring role for the Nuggets on the road in this series after Christian Braun had an outsized impact in Game 3, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. As with Gordon, the Nuggets knew they were getting a good player when they signed Brown in free agency last summer, but he has been even better than they hoped.

“Can I say that I envisioned him scoring 11 points (in the fourth quarter) on the road in Game 4 of the Finals?” head coach Michael Malone said on Friday. “I can’t say that. But I did envision him being a ball-handler, a play-maker.”

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

A floor burn suffered in the Nuggets’ Game 3 win didn’t have a major impact on Murray, whose increase in production from the regular season to the playoffs puts him in rare company, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. As Hollinger details, no player in NBA history has a bigger gap than Murray between his career regular PER (16.4) and his mark in the postseason (22.3).
Nick Kosmider of The Athletic explores why Braun is such an ideal fit in the backcourt next to Murray. The rookie is poised to take on a larger role in the Nuggets’ rotation next season and beyond, especially if the team is unable to re-sign Brown.
Having agreed to acquire a 2024 first-round pick from the Thunder, the Nuggets may use that selection – or their own 2024 first-rounder – in an effort to move up in this year’s draft, a source tells Mike Singer of The Denver Post. The Nuggets own the No. 40 pick in 2023 and are also acquiring No. 37 in the deal with Oklahoma City, so they should have more than enough ammo to move into the first round if they’re willing to move a 2024 first-round pick.
French big man Ismael Kamagate, the 46th overall pick in the 2022 draft, will likely remain in Europe for at least one more year, sources tell Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link). Kamagate was drafted by the Nuggets last June but remained with Paris Basketball for the 2022/23 season. Denver “really likes” the 22-year-old, according to Wind, but wants to be patient with his development.

Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Murray, MPJ, Braun, Green

June 8th, 2023 at 10:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Thanks to their stellar playoff performances to this point, Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are laying claim to being the league’s most fearsome twosome, opines Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports.

During last night’s Game 3 Denver victory, Jokic and Murray made NBA history when they became the only teammates to ever record 30-point triple-doubles in the same game.

“I’d say it’s a trust and a feel, that’s the best way for me to put it,” Murray said of his collaboration with the two-time MVP. “It’s not really X’s and O’s. It’s just reading the game and trusting that the other is going to make the right play.”

Jokic is averaging a triple-double of 30.5 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 10.1 assists through his 18 playoff games this year. For his part, Murray has recorded 27.4 PPG, 6.8 APG and 5.7 RPG.

There’s more out of Denver:

Nuggets rookie swingman Christian Braun enjoyed a breakout performance in Game 3, racking up 15 points and four boards while also holding his own on defense, often against All-NBA Heat wing Jimmy Butler. The 6’7″ shooting guard made an outsized impact off the bench in a critical victory, writes Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. “I mean, the guys just trusted me all year,” Braun said. “So when I get in the game, I try to defend, do the little things … obviously, [the stars] make it easier on me, my job’s not very hard.” Prior to Game 3, Braun’s playoff high was nine points against the Timberwolves.
Nuggets starting small forward Michael Porter Jr. has the support of head coach Michael Malone despite having a rough two-way run in the Finals thus far, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “Michael Porter isn’t making shots right now, and we know he is a great shooter,” Malone said. “But we believe in Michael. He is our starting small forward. I have zero doubt he is going to have a very big game coming up here that is going to help us win this championship.” Through these first three contests, Porter is averaging just 7.0 PPG on .258/.158/1.000 shooting splits across 30.3 MPG. He had his worst outing of the series on Wednesday, scoring just two points on 1-of-7 shooting from the floor.
Nuggets reserve forward Jeff Green is making the most of his second Finals appearance, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Green also suited up for the 2018 Finals as a role player with the Cavaliers, though that team was swept by the Warriors. Now, the heavily favored Nuggets lead the Heat 2-1. “I know who’s across that hall,” Green said. “So, I’m just living in the moment, relishing this moment. Because as you know, 16 years for me, second time here, they don’t come often. So we’re just appreciating everything.”

Nuggets’ Jokic, Murray Make History In Game 3 Win

June 7th, 2023 at 11:13pm CST by Rory Maher

Hoops Rumors ordinarily doesn’t cover this sort of thing, at least not directly. But the historic performances tonight by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in the Nuggets‘ 109-94 Game 3 victory over the Heat are worth highlighting.

Jokic and Murray became the first teammates in NBA history — regular season or playoffs — to record 30-point triple-doubles in the same game, the league announced (via Twitter). And it came on the biggest stage, during the NBA Finals.

Jokic, the two-time MVP, finished with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists, which made him the first player to record a 30-20-10 game in the Finals, ESPN Stats & Info tweets. That marks his third career 30-20-10 playoff game; there have only been two other postseason instances of that stat line, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain recording one apiece.

Murray also made individual history, becoming the first player to record 10-plus assists in his each of his first three Finals games, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk (Twitter link). The 26-year-old finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said it was “by far their greatest performance as a duo,” according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link).

As impressive as the victory was, it was still only one game, and the series is far from over. The Nuggets now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Friday night in Miami.

Nuggets Notes: Green, Smith, Murray, Jokic, Offense

June 4th, 2023 at 2:34pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran Nuggets power forward Jeff Green, an unrestricted free agent this summer, is hoping that his 11th NBA team will be his last, writes Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette.

“I’m finishing my career here, if I can,’’ Green said. “I want to just play two more years and, if my wife lets me play three, cool. But my goal is to play two more years and be a Nugget for those two years.”

Even in his 15th NBA season, Green remains surprisingly athletic and has been a solid two-way role player. As a reserve in these playoffs, the 36-year-old is averaging 3.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG and 0.7 APG across 18.1 MPG. He inked a two-year, $9MM deal with the Nuggets in 2021.

Here’s more out of Denver:

Nuggets guard Ish Smith has suited up for even more franchises than his teammate Green, having played for 13 different teams across his 13 pro seasons. The journeyman role player is hoping to nab his first title with the Nuggets this year, writes David Aldridge of The Athletic. “It would be gratifying, honestly,” Smith said of a possible title. “The years you go through, the 13 years and counting. The years you won 10 games. The years you were enjoying a city, you’re on a team, and all of a sudden they call you and say, ‘Ish, you’re about to get traded.’ … A ring isn’t everything, but man, it (would feel) good.”
Heat reserve point guard Kyle Lowry, Denver’s latest nemesis in the playoffs, drew a Hall of Fame parallel between the lethal Nuggets tandem of point guard Jamal Murray and center Nikola Jokic, per Vic Lombardi of Altitude TV (Twitter link). “Yeah, I’m old,” Lowry said. “The closest I can remember is (title-winning Spurs duo) Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.”
Denver’s diverse offensive arsenal is helping drive its romp through the playoffs, and could be the key to its first championship, as Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link) details. “It’s about being selfless, playing for each other, wanting others to succeed — all the things this culture is about,” versatile small forward Michael Porter Jr. said. Starting power forward Aaron Gordon shares this ethos. “The open man is the right one,” Gordon said. “As long as they’re open, the ball has to go there.”

Nuggets Notes: Finals Appearance, Murray, Jokic

May 25th, 2023 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

While the Nuggets were happy to beat the Lakers and earn a spot in the 2023 NBA Finals, the team remains in championship-or-bust mode, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. According to head coach Michael Malone, his squad knows its work isn’t done and won’t be content until it wins four more games.

“To beat this team in the Western Conference Finals, and to get the first sweep in franchise history, it means a lot,” Malone said. “But I speak for 17 players in that locker room and then the entire organization. We are not satisfied. We’re going to enjoy it for a moment, and it’s going to be a hell of a plane ride home. But we have more work to do.”

Regardless of when the Eastern Conference Finals end, the NBA Finals won’t tip off until June 1, so the Nuggets still have a full week to rest up and prepare for their next opponent.

As they await the winner of the Heat/Celtics series, here’s more on the Nuggets:

Nikola Jokic has earned most of the accolades for the Nuggets this postseason, including unanimous Western Conference Finals MVP honors, but Jamal Murray‘s historic shooting performance in the series vs. the Lakers was a major factor in Denver’s win, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. Murray, the Nuggets’ leading scorer in the series with 32.5 points per game on .527/.405/.950 shooting, joined Kevin Durant as the only players in NBA history to average 30+ PPG with 50/40/90 shooting splits in multiple playoff series — Murray also achieved the feat in the 2020 bubble vs. Utah.
After moving from the ABA to the NBA in 1976, the Nuggets made the Western Conference Finals in 1978, then repeated that feat in 1985, 2009, and 2020, but never broke through to make the NBA Finals until now. This year’s playoff run has been a salve for 47 years of heartbreak, says Nick Kosmider of The Athletic.
Within Kosmider’s story, Malone spoke about his first impressions of Jokic after the Nuggets selected the Serbian center 41st overall in the 2015 draft. According to Malone, he viewed Jokic as a “nice player” at the time, but not much more than that. “No one, and if they tell you any different they’re full of s—, could see that he’d be a two-time MVP, passing Wilt Chamberlain (in the record books) it seems like every other night,” Malone said. “It speaks to his dedication to his craft, getting in great shape and understanding that for him to fulfill his potential, he had to work harder.”
Following the Lakers’ Game 4 loss, LeBron James said this Nuggets squad is the best team he has faced in any postseason series since he arrived in Los Angeles in 2018 (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic).

Northwest Notes: Jazz, First-Round Picks, Nuggets, Jokic

May 21st, 2023 at 3:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Jazz currently possess the ninth pick in this year’s top-heavy NBA draft. Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune considers how the Jazz could theoretically trade their way into a higher pick.

Larsen notes that Trail Blazers, Rockets, and potentially even the Pistons could be looking to move on from their own lottery selections in the 3-5 range.

At this past week’s draft combine in Chicago, the Jazz spoke to Alabama forward Brandon Miller, Villanova wing Cam Whitmore, UCF big man Taylor Hendricks, and Houston forward Jarace Walker, all of whom are projected to be off the board before Utah can draft.

“I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of interesting conversations here over the next few weeks,” GM Justin Zanik told Larsen. “As we get our own internal work done, then we’ll really start engaging with teams as they get to build their board and know a little bit more as well.”

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

Sources around the NBA inform Sarah Todd of The Deseret News that they don’t expect the Jazz to retain all three of their current first-round draft picks. Besides No. 9, Utah also controls No. 16 and No. 28.
Organizational patience has been a huge factor in the Nuggets’ playoff success story this season, opines Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I remember [former team president Tim Connelly] calling me up, [and saying], ‘Hey, we can trade Jamal [Murray] for this guy,’” head coach Michael Malone recalled in a conversation with Amick. “[This was] probably three or four years ago — [and it was] a marquee player. I said ‘No.’ Like, ‘What? Let’s not rush this. We have a patient ownership group. Let’s f—ing take our time and build this the right way. A bigger name is not always better.’” Murray discussed how the close-knit chemistry among the team’s core players has positively impacted their on-court performance. “You’re a tighter group when you’ve been together for so long,” Murray said. “You know each other’s tendencies. You have a better feeling for each other. I just think that we’ve grown as a team, and as a core. We’ve grown, (as opposed to) the team that moves around a lot.”
The expert passing and basketball IQ of the Nuggets’ core players has helped the team put their own unique stamp on a postseason run that sees them just one game away from their first ever NBA Finals appearance, writes Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. “I love it, just because you can see everybody’s moving,” All-NBA center Nikola Jokic said of the team’s ball distribution. “I think that’s hard to guard.”

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