Jamal Murray’s commitment to Canada for the 2024 Olympics has caused a delay in his contract negotiations with the Denver Nuggets.
Per Bennett Durando of the Denver Post, Murray and the Nuggets have put contract talks “on the back-burner right now” but the two sides “will likely” come to an agreement after the Olympics conclude.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported on June 27 that Murray and the Nuggets were working toward a four-year, $209 million max extension, and both sides anticipate coming to an agreement.
There is some potential for risk on Murray’s part by electing to play in the Olympics before signing a new contract. He has missed at least 17 games in each of the past four seasons, including the entire 2021-22 campaign due to a torn ACL.
Murray dealt with calf and elbow issues during the Nuggets’ playoff run this past season. He played in all 12 postseason games but struggled to find a consistent rhythm with a 40.2 field-goal percentage.
While there doesn’t seem to be any concern about Murray getting a deal done, Nuggets fans can be excused for feeling some trepidation based on how the offseason has gone so far. The organization was criticized for letting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leave as a free agent when he signed with the Orlando Magic.
General manager Calvin Booth seemed to indicate ahead of time the Nuggets were going to go with Christian Braun as a starter, rather than attempt to sign Caldwell-Pope. It still seems a strange decision to let a vital two-way wing player who shot 40.6 percent from three-point range last season leave when you have Murray and Nikola Jokić in the prime of their careers.
There is no concern that Murray, who has one year and $36 million remaining on his current contract, is going anywhere. He is playing in the Olympics for the first time in his career.
As long as Murray comes out of the Paris Games healthy, his extension could get done before the Nuggets open training camp. The 27-year-old has averaged 20.7 points per game and shot 41.0 percent from three-point range in 172 games since the 2020-21 season.