The Denver Nuggets’ 2025–26 season ended far sooner than they would have imagined—a six-game first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves—and now some real questions are starting to emerge about what comes next.
Nikola Jokic said postgame that the Nuggets aren’t close to being a contender, so how do they change that? All options appear to be on the table, including the fascinating possibility that Denver could explore the trade market for star guard and longtime dynamic duo partner Jamal Murray.
Jordan Quick and Sam Amick wrote:
“If he does, it’s only natural to wonder whether the Nuggets might have some internal discussion about the second-highest-paid player on the roster: Murray. In contrast to Gordon, whose health struggles might make possible suitors wary if he were made available, the 29-year-old Murray is coming off the best regular season of his career. He is handsomely paid — three years and a combined $161 million left on his deal — and there is always robust market for elite scorers and playmakers. The danger is breaking up the Jokić-Murray two-man game that is widely considered the best in all the NBA,”
The 29-year-old Murray, as mentioned, has three years remaining on the four-year, $207,845,568 contract extension he signed with the Nuggets in 2024. He averaged a career-high 25.4 PPG to go with 7.1 APG and 4.4 RPG across 75 games this regular season.
Moving on from Murray after a career year might seem silly, though it’s also possible that his value will never be higher, giving Denver a lot to think about. It would, of course, need to result in an equal, if not better, star-caliber player coming back the other way.
While Murray and Jokic have had tremendous success together, their playoff shortcomings since winning the championship in 2022–23 mean that change at least has to be explored, whether anything actually comes of it or not.
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