The Denver Nuggets will have Jamal Murray for years to come.
The 2019 NBA rookie-scale extension period opened on Sunday, and Murray quickly agreed to a 5-year, $170 million deal with his current team.
Via Twitter:
Denver Nuggets rising star Jamal Murray has agreed to a five-year, $170M maximum contract extension, agent Mike George of OneLegacy tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2019
Murray has shined in the three seasons he has been in Denver, leading them to the brink of a Western Conference Finals appearance save for a Game 7 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round of the postseason this year.
Murray has slowly become one of the more dynamic guards in the NBA, although his shooting can be streaky at times. As he continues to get more reliable, he should continue to be an excellent running mate for Nikola Jokic.
The young Canadian guard is particularly useful given his ability to play multiple positions on the wing. Although Murray is the primary point guard for Denver, he excelled in spot-up and hand-off situations last season. Murray is a decent enough defender, and given his 6-foot-4, 210 pound frame It’s reasonable to expect him to grow on that side of the ball.
This is a solidification of what Denver built upon this year. The West is wide open with Kevin Durant now a part of the Brooklyn Nets, and Klay Thompson still recovering from ACL surgery. Rivals like the Utah Jazz and Blazers are starting to pounce on the potential of the Warriors dynasty crumbling down this year, and making sure that Murray wasn’t going anywhere was tantamount for the Nuggets.
