Nuggets’ GM Calvin Booth says Jamal Murray extension should ‘be pretty easy’ after 2024 Olympics

Jamal Murray is currently slated to be among the best free agents available in the summer of 2025, but in all likelihood, his situation will be settled by then. Murray is eligible for a four-year, $208 million contract extension with the Denver Nuggets this offseason, and for now, all signs point to a deal getting done. Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth more or less confirmed that in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio.

“The Olympics are a big deal. I think having him focus on that and getting through that, and when he gets back, and that concludes, I think it’ll be pretty easy.” Booth said. “I don’t think it’ll be much of a negotiation.”

Murray will earn roughly $36 million next season, and should he extend for the max, his total compensation would be roughly $244 million over the next five years before considering potential options or non-guarantees. That said, Murray has dealt with injuries throughout his career, including a torn ACL in 2021 and a calf injury that limited him in the 2024 postseason, so the Nuggets may look to include some protection in his next contract. Booth’s wording indicates that the team is not planning to draw some hardline stance with its top guard.

The Nuggets need to secure Murray’s services moving forward given the financial hits this team has already taken as of late. Bruce Brown left as a free agent following the 2023 championship, but the Nuggets had no legal way of matching Indiana’s offer under the salary cap. Denver could have outbid the Orlando Magic for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, their shooting guard in what has been the NBA’s best starting lineup over the past two seasons, but doing so would have pushed them into the second apron, which comes with a host of other problematic restrictions.

In September, both Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. will also become extension-eligible. Gordon has a player option for the 2025-26 season, so inking him as soon as possible will be a priority. Porter has three guaranteed years left on his deal, though, and after a lackluster postseason, the Nuggets may not be in any rush to get him signed on the dotted line.

The Nuggets right now are built around four players. Nikola Jokic has a long-term contract. Murray and Gordon might have new ones by the end of the offseason. Porter is locked in for now, but given the losses this team has already incurred, it wouldn’t be terribly surprising if he eventually became a trade candidate to help replace some of that lost depth. Denver is in a state of flux right now after losing Brown and Caldwell-Pope in consecutive summers, so keeping what remains of its championship core will be paramount.