Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth said he expects to sign star guard Jamal Murray to a contract extension after the conclusion of the Olympics.

"I mean Jamal's been a staple of our program for the last eight years," Booth said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "Obviously we're very interested in getting something done with him. The Olympics are a big deal and I think having him focus on that and get through that. When he gets back and that concludes, I think it will be pretty easy. I don't think there will be much of a negotiation."

“We are very interested in getting something done with [Jamal Murray]”

Nuggets GM Calvin Booth gives the latest on contract negotiations with their star guard with @TermineRadio , @jumpshot8, & Ryan McDonough.

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Murray has one year remaining on his five-year, $158.253 million contract, but as Booth said, it's likely an extension will get done before the start of the 2024-25 season.

Murray, who has been with the Nuggets since he was drafted in 2016, had the best season of his career last year, putting up 21.2 points, 6.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. He also had career numbers from deep, shooting 42.5 percent from beyond the arc during the 2023-24 campaign.

Murray was an integral part of the Nuggets' championship run in 2023 and had another successful postseason last season, including a pair of game-winners in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The guard for the Canadian national team recently shrugged off a question about his extension, so he's clearly not worried about the deal getting done.

"When we get there, we get there," Murray said, per the Denver Post's Bennett Durando. "I am playing games for Canada so it's not on my mind."

The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania also reported in June that Murray and the Nuggets are discussing a four-year, $209 million maximum contract extension, which likely eases his worries about whether a deal will come.

In the meantime, he'll look to lead Canada to gold in the Olympics.

Denver Nuggets rookie DaRon Holmes II suffered a torn Achilles on Friday night in a Summer League loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Holmes is expected to miss the entire 2024-25 season due to the injury.

The injury occurred midway through the fourth quarter when Holmes attempted to contest a pass from Kobe Brown, but he landed on the court awkwardly and limped around for a moment before being subbed out.

The Nuggets used the No. 22 pick in the 2024 NBA draft to select Holmes. He was a three-year starter at Dayton and had the potential to get decent minutes off the bench.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman expressed optimism about Holmes because of some "key improvements" he made to his game last season in college:

"DaRon Holmes made improvements in key areas this year with his shooting and on-ball skill as a ball-handler and passer. Size and athleticism for finishing are still his moneymakers, but some extra shotmaking and driving ability have helped separate Holmes from other basic low-post threats and dunkers. There are just translatability questions about his flat shot, face-up play and defensive presence in the paint."

Denver isn't embracing a full-on youth movement because the core of Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon remains in place, but the team has made it clear some of its recent draft picks will get playing time this season.

General manager Calvin Booth was praising Christian Braun's ability to take on a bigger role even before Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left to join the Orlando Magic in free agency.

Holmes likely wouldn't have played a major role for the team, but he could have been a factor in the frontcourt rotation for the 2024-25 campaign.

The Nuggets still have Gordon and Peyton Watson as their top two power forwards going into next season. They could also use Porter in that spot at times when they want to maximize their scoring output.

Free agent Gary Trent Jr. would not accept a minimum contract to play with Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports.

Wind added that there is not "much interest on Denver's end anyway."

You can rule out Gary Trent Jr. as an option for the Nuggets in free agency, I’m told. He’s not going to take a minimum contract and I don’t think there would be much interest on Denver’s end anyway.

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) July 12, 2024

Trent averaged 13.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 71 appearances for the Toronto Raptors last season.

The Nuggets could still be hoping to find a replacement for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope after losing him in free agency to the Orlando Magic.

Those numbers were a dip in production for Trent, who averaged 17.9 points per game through his past two seasons with the Raptors.

He still shot 42.6 percent from the field, making 39.3 percent of his shots from deep while attempting 6.4 three-pointers per night.

Trent played the 2023-24 season on a $18.56 million player option, but could be set to move on from Toronto after the Raptors announced extensions for Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.

TSN's Josh Lewenberg reported Monday that the Raptors originally offered Trent an annual salary of approximately $15 million to remain in Toronto, but that the guard's representatives reportedly asked for a raise to an annual value approaching $25 million.

Toronto's $15 million offer "is no longer on the table," Lewenberg reported, so Trent will need to find that money elsewhere.

"With the market drying up, one league insider suggested Trent would be 'lucky' to get the mid-level exception, valued at $12.5 million," Lewenberg wrote.

Shams Charania and Jovan Buha reported for The Athletic that Trent was a name "to watch" for the Los Angeles Lakers, but that the Lakers would need to move salary just to offer Trent the $5.2 million midlevel exception.

If Trent is not willing to accept a minimum deal, that rules out a whole host of suitors that are hard-capped after the first wave of free agency.

Jamal Murray doesn't seem worried about the status of his contract extension talks with the Denver Nuggets.

"When we get there, we get there. I am playing games for Canada, so it's not on my mind," Murray told reporters after Canada's exhibition loss to the United States on Wednesday.

I asked #Nuggets star Jamal Murray about his potential max contract extension after Canada’s game vs Team USA. He said, “When we get there, we get there I guess. I am playing games for Canada so it’s not on my mind.” @DPostSports pic.twitter.com/MsSneIKnRH

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) July 11, 2024

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium previously reported that Murray and the Nuggets were expected to reach a four-year, $209 million contract extension. However, no deal has been announced in the weeks since that report. Bennett Durando of the Denver Post reported the talks have been broken off until the conclusion of the Olympics.

The lack of contract would indicate some snag, or perhaps a desire from Denver to ensure Murray doesn't get hurt while playing for Canada. If this were a straightforward negotiation, Murray would have already inked his extension before international play began. It behooves only the team in this instance to wait things out.

The Nuggets have been noticeably cautious with their spending the last two offseasons, allowing key contributors Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to exit in financially driven decisions. Nikola Jokić, Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon eat up more than the salary cap alone in their contracts, making Denver a little top-heavy coming into the 2024-25 season.

Murray's extension would pay him upwards of $50 million per season. Combine that with Jokić's deal, which is already above the $50 million mark, and the avenues for improvement will stay limited for a long time in Denver.

Still, the Nuggets have little reason to allow Murray to walk as they try to compete for championships in the immediate future.

Nikola Jokić may want Russell Westbrook to land in Denver, but he's reportedly not making a fuss to make it happen.

Bennett Durando of the Denver Post reported Jokić has "endorsed" the idea of trading for Westbrook but hasn't approached the front office to demand the team pulls off the trade.

The Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly trying to trade Westbrook after he opted in to his $4 million player option for the 2024-25 season. Despite Westbrook being under contract for a relatively paltry sum, the Clippers signed Kris Dunn and Kevin Porter Jr. and re-signed James Harden this summer, making Westbrook the odd man out in the guard rotation.

Westbrook averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists last season, by far the worst season of his career from an individual numbers perspective. That largely had to do with Westbrook taking on a secondary role behind Harden in the rotation, but the Clippers were consistently better when Harden was leading the offense over Westbrook.

The future Hall of Famer will likely be playing for his sixth team in the last seven seasons if the Clippers find a taker. His style of play has been a difficult mix with several superstars along the way, with Harden, LeBron James and Bradley Beal being among the co-stars who couldn't find on-court success with Westbrook.

Jokić is the offensive fulcrum in Denver, which could make him playing alongside Westbrook a difficult fit. It's more likely Westbrook would lead bench units and play alongside Jokić minimally, though Westbrook's ability as a cutter could work well when Jokić is navigating the offense from the block.

The Nuggets are in desperate need of some sort of positivity coming out of this offseason. They already lost guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic, the second straight summer they saw a key wing contributor leave in the offseason (Bruce Brown).

Coming off its 2023 NBA championship, Denver has been unable to do much roster improvement around Jokić, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. as the realities of the new collective bargaining agreement created a squeeze around the tax. Westbrook might not be a perfect fit, but he's a talented and cheap one at $4 million.

That's all the Nuggets front office should really need to pull the trigger.

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.

The Denver Nuggets are reportedly the only team to show "tangible interest" in trading for Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Clippers are "openly exploring" the trade market for Westbrook despite him only being on the books for $4 million next season. Westbrook exercised his player option to remain in Los Angeles last month, but it appears the Clippers have no interest in bringing him back.

The future Hall of Famer averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists last season, marking career lows in several categories as he played behind James Harden. The Clippers re-signed Harden to a two-year, $70 million contract in free agency while adding guards Kris Dunn and Kevin Porter Jr. in free agency, making Westbrook expendable.

Westbrook played the last season and a half with the Clippers. He's played for five different teams in the last six seasons, embarking on a journeyman career path that would have been completely unforeseen during his tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Los Angeles Lakers are the only team Westbrook has played with since leaving OKC that has kept him on for more than 100 games.

Denver would be an interesting fit for Westbrook given his general ball dominance. The Nuggets play the vast majority of their possessions through center Nikola Jokić, and Westbrook is not the type of floor spacer who can make that work. Westbrook would likely be consigned to a bench role and play largely when Jokić needs a rest while serving as a cutter during the minutes they play together.

Nikola Jokić appears to be recruiting a former NBA MVP to join the Denver Nuggets in 2024-25.

During an appearance on the DNVR Denver Nuggets Podcast, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports reported that Jokić has been "putting in behind-the-scenes work" to help the Nuggets land Russell Westbrook in unrestricted free agency.

"I've been told that Nikola Jokić actually has been pushing behind the scenes to get Westbrook to Denver," Wind said. "I've been told that Nikola Jokić wants Westbrook in Denver. He wants to play with him. It's not the first time he's wanted to play with him."

Westbrook exercised his $4 million option with the Los Angeles Clippers for 2024-25, but the Clippers are reportedly "working on trades to move Westbrook."

While trading the 35-year-old within the Western Conference may not be the most appealing option for Los Angeles, surely it would be willing to send him there for the right price.

Westbrook is no longer the MVP-caliber player he used to be, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be a valuable pickup for the Nuggets. He averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 68 games in 2023-24. He only made 11 starts and would likely take a bench role once again with Denver.

The Nuggets went 57-25 in 2023-24 and fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs. Denver won the NBA championship in 2022-23 and is still in a contention window, so adding Westbrook on a cheap deal as a depth piece could be beneficial to the team's chances.

The Denver Nuggets are reportedly planning to pursue Russell Westbrook after he picked up his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Denver "has shown a level of interest" in the veteran guard, The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania reported Saturday. The news came after Charania reported Los Angeles is "actively working on trades to move" Westbrook.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported Westbrook was a potential target for the $5.2 million taxpayer midlevel exception. The Nuggets are reportedly trying to unload backup center Zeke Nnaji to duck under the second tax apron and open up their MLE.

Westbrook decided to remain with the Clippers on a $4 million player option rather than test the open market. Law Murray and Jenna West of The Athletic reported the Clippers still could waive or trade Westbrook, depending on how their offseason shakes out.

Westbrook averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists last season, spending most of the year playing a reserve role behind James Harden. The Clippers are allowing Harden to explore unrestricted free agency this summer but are widely expected—at least at this point—to bring him back.

Some wondered whether Westbrook might explore the open market in search of a more substantive role, but it's likely he received tepid interest. The future Hall of Famer has played for five different teams in the last six seasons. If he returns to the Clippers next season, they will be the second most-tenured franchise of his career behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.

A Los Angeles native, Westbrook almost certainly valued the stability of being able to stay home—even if more money or a better role existed elsewhere.

Whether the Clippers ultimately value him the same remains to be seen. His $4 million salary is relative pittance in the modern NBA, but every cent counts as the Clippers attempt to work around the restrictive luxury tax rules of the new collective bargaining agreement.

The Denver Nuggets and free-agent center DeAndre Jordan agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million contract Saturday, according to Bleacher Report and TNT's Chris Haynes.

Jordan spent the last two seasons with the Nuggets as a backup to Nikola Jokic. He averaged 3.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2023-24, remaining an effective rebounder and finisher at the rim in limited minutes.

The Nuggets will likely look for Jordan to play a similar role next season as he hits age 36. He has played on a series of minimum contracts since being released by the Detroit Pistons in 2021, suiting up for the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Nuggets along the way.

Before Jordan's new deal, the Nuggets were $74.498 over the cap, per Spotrac, but were $8.272 million under the first apron and $19.103 million under the second apron, so his $3.6 million isn't a huge financial burden for the 2023 champs.

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Nuggets Active Roster and 2024-25 Salary (Expiration Year)

Nikola Jokić, C: $51.4M (2028)

Jamal Murray, PG: $36M (2025)

Michael Porter Jr., SF: $35.9M (2027)

Aaron Gordon, PF: $23.8M (2026)

Zeke Nnaji, PF: $8.9M (2028)

DeAndre Jordan: $3.6M (2025)

Christian Braun, SG: $3.1M (2026)

Julian Strawther, SF: $2.6M (2027)

Peyton Watson, SG: $2.4M (2026)

Jalen Pickett, PG: $1.9M (2027)

Hunter Tyson, SF: $1.9M (2027)

Free Agents

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG: Player option

Reggie Jackson, PG: Player option

Justin Holiday, SG: UFA

Vlatko Čančar, PF: Club option

Jay Huff, C: RFA

Braxton Key, SF: RFA

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A three-time All-NBA selection, Jordan spent his first 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. Former Clippers coach Doc Rivers recently said Jordan should have his jersey retired by the franchise.

"He was the original one. He's All-Defense, Olympic gold medalist, NBA champion," said Rivers. "He stayed there the longest, was traded, never just left."

While Rivers' quote wasn't accurate—Jordan did choose to leave in free agency in 2018—it goes to show what an impressive career he had with the Clippers. As Jordan plays out the final stretch of his career in Denver, you can still see occasional flashes of what made him so dominant in his 20s.