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The good news: Nikola Jokić finally got to play with an All-Star.
Jamal Murray was brilliant in the regular season and, at long last, we witnessed the first Jokić teammate to be named to either All-Star, All-NBA or All-Defense in the Serbian’s 11-year career.
So here is the bad news: It’s time to trade Murray.
Because at this point, I don’t see another way out of this mess for Jokić. After winning the title in 2023, the Nuggets have fallen out of contention with a fading and increasingly expensive roster that is set to go deep into the tax.
After Thursday’s disappointing first-round exit to the Timberwolves, Jokić told reporters, “I still want to be a Nugget forever.” He conceded that the Nuggets were “far away” from contention and, when asked about whether changes needed to be made, he said, "That's not my decision, to be honest. Definitely, if we were in Serbia, we would all get fired."
Now, Denver might have no choice but to deal Jokić’s co-pilot, Murray, while it still can get something of value in return.
Is it time for the Nuggets to split up their dynamic duo? (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)How we got here
A year ago, I argued that Jokić had every right to ask for a trade out of Denver because of the continued lack of star support around him. He didn’t ask out, and he still probably won’t. But he should have, if nothing else, to sound the alarms for the organization. As far as putting pressure on the front office, the “we would all get fired” line is likely as far as Jokić will go.
This time last year, Nuggets president Josh Kroenke made the decision to fire head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth days before the end of the season. Instead of looking outside the organization, Kroenke promoted from within ranks, calling it an “unorthodox” setup with Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace heading up the front office and longtime assistant David Adelman taking over on the sidelines.
Unorthodox and ultimately unsuccessful — again. The Thunder ousted the Nuggets in the second round last year and, unfortunately for Jokić, yet another magnificent season has been wasted in 2025-26. Even the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves, without Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu for the end of the series, were able to thwart the Nuggets in the first round.
Clearly, the Nuggets aren’t close to returning to the top of the West. Oklahoma City looks as dominant as ever. The Victor Wembanyama takeover has arrived. The Los Angeles Lakers have Luka Dončić. As is, the Western Conference is leaving Jokić and the Nuggets in the dust.
It’s not Jokić’s fault. Four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert had him in fits at times in this series, but he still averaged 25.8 points, 13.2 rebounds and 9.5 assists. He struggled with his shot (just 47.5% effective field goal percentage), but a low-grade Jokić should still be enough to survive the Timberwolves’ B-Team — if any of his teammates stepped up. That’s the issue. Denver’s supporting cast is still a massive problem and it’s deteriorating fast.
The Nuggets’ woeful supporting cast
Let’s start with Aaron Gordon. The body of Jokić’s top frontcourt mate, now on the wrong side of 30, has betrayed him. He played just 36 games this season and missed half the series against Minnesota with calf issues. Since last postseason when he pulled his hamstring in the playoffs, Gordon has been a shell of himself, unable to consistently offer the dynamic, above-the-rim presence that complemented Jokić’s game so well. With only 75 starts in the last two seasons, the team is stuck owing Gordon $110 million over the next three seasons.
Cam Johnson was supposed to help matters. After the second-round exit against the Thunder, the organization sent Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to Brooklyn for the sweet-shooting Johnson. The hope was that Johnson could provide Porter’s elite floor-spacing and cutting at a fraction of the cost. Instead, Porter enjoyed a breakout season, averaging 24.2 points and 7.1 rebounds, while Johnson faltered throughout the season in his place.
With long-term savings from the Porter trade, the team signed Christian Braun to a frothy $125 million extension that will kick in next season, hoping that his 2024-25 breakout season was a sign of things to come. Instead, Braun, like Gordon, endured an injury-riddled campaign, averaging just 12.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists with almost no floor-spacing in just 44 games. At his 2025-26 salary of just under $5 million, that’s not a problem. But starting next year, his salary soars to $21 million and will increase to $28 million by 2030-31 when Jokić is 36 years old.
Denver’s only compelling young player, Peyton Watson, will be a restricted free agent. But even he has health questions after playing just 54 games this season and missing the entire first round of the playoffs with a devastating hamstring injury.
Watson’s contract will likely be too expensive for Kroenke’s taste. As is, the Nuggets are projected to go deep into the tax with Braun’s big extension kicking in next season. According to Spotrac.com data, the Nuggets face a $16 million tax bill even without Watson and their 2026 first-round pick on the books. After a breakout season, Watson should command something in the neighborhood of Braun’s extension.
It’s doubtful the organization will open up its wallet even more after the first-round out and bring back this underwhelming group. To put it in perspective, we can consult the advanced metrics from dunksandthrees.com and quantify the Nuggets’ personnel around Jokić. This season, there were 85 players not named “Nikola Jokić” who registered at least five estimated wins added. Do you know how many of those 85 were on the Nuggets’ roster?
Just one. Jamal Murray.
Victor Wembanyama had not one, not two, but four teammates who eclipsed that mark. Same with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Luka Dončić had two: LeBron James and Austin Reaves. But Jokić, who delivered 17.2 eWins this season, saw his third-best teammate, Johnson, clock in at merely 4.4 eWins. Gordon limped to a 3.7 eWin figure, just ahead of Watson at 3.3.
With the bulk of the roster holding negative trade value, it’ll be almost impossible for the Nuggets to upgrade without moving Murray at the peak of his powers. Murray carries a steep salary at $50 million next season, $53.8 million in 2027-28 and $57.5 million, but there may be no better time to sell than now while he’s coming off an All-NBA level campaign.
The Nuggets may have to break up Murray’s salary into multiple pieces to help shore up their woeful defense, which ranked 21st in the NBA in the regular season and made Dosunmu (43 points in Game 4) and Terrence Shannon Jr. (21 points in clinching Game 6) look like stars. Look at the books. How else would they upgrade the roster in a meaningful way?
It won’t be painless. The easiest thing to do would be to run it back with this group. But doing so would risk Murray getting hurt or regressing to pre-2025-26 levels, which would prove disastrous at his cap number. Gordon, Braun and Johnson certainly aren’t bringing in real talent.
Here are three trade ideas that can allow the Nuggets to use Murray for potential upgrades:
The Raptors trade
Nuggets receive:
Collin Murray-Boyles
RJ Barrett
Jakob Poeltl
Raptors receive:
Jamal Murray
Zeke Nnaji
This is a bet on CMB being the next Draymond Green, a defensive mastermind who could flourish next to Jokić’s other-wordly playmaking abilities. Trading for a 20-year-old next to Jokić would be a timeline risk, but the blossoming South Carolina product could instantly step in as Denver’s best defensive player and provide much-needed athleticism. Balancing the defensive end of the floor has to be a priority while getting 80% of Murray’s offensive exploits with fellow Canadian guard Barrett.
For the Raptors, the team would be loading up on star power in an open Eastern Conference. Murray is a clear upgrade on Barrett and would be coming home to Ontario where he grew up. It’d be tough to part ways with CMB, but flipping the ninth overall pick in the 2025 draft for an All-NBA talent in his prime would be a haul for the aspiring East contender. To make contracts work, Poeltl and Nnaji would be included. Jonas Valančiūnas’ 2026-27 salary is not guaranteed, paving the way for Poeltl to step in as Jokić’s backup.
The Rockets trade
Nuggets receive:
Kevin Durant
2029 first-round pick (via PHX)
Rockets receive:
Jamal Murray
Kevin Durant never made sense on a roster without Fred VanVleet (ACL) and Steven Adams (ankle) healthy, and the Durant experiment in Houston may very well be over before it ever really began. (We’ll see how things go against the Lakers from here.) At his age, Durant isn’t a massive upgrade defensively over Murray, but he helps lengthen the Nuggets, who are severely lacking in the athleticism department, especially with Gordon constantly lumbering.
By many measures, Durant was better than Murray this season and the 37-year-old’s contract ($6 million less than Murray next season) will also help Denver shave its payroll and provide flexibility as the team desperately tries to navigate the apron world.
To mitigate the risk of a Durant injury, the Nuggets will receive the 2029 first-round pick (via Phoenix) and help grease Denver’s ability to pivot. Durant holds a player option for $46 million in 2027-28, which even if he picks it up, Denver would be off of his money a year before Murray’s contract expires.
On the Houston side, the Rockets get significantly younger and don’t have to pretzel themselves into win-now mode with Durant as he approaches 40. At 29, Murray is a much more polished and proven playoff scorer compared to Jalen Green, who was moved along with Dillon Brooks and the rights to Khaman Maluach, for Durant last summer.
The Pistons trade
Nuggets receive:
Ausar Thompson
Duncan Robinson
Caris Levert
Pistons receive:
Jamal Murray
DEN’s 2026 first-round pick
Denver needs an athletic defender. Detroit needs an elite shot creator. It’s hard to find contenders with such compatible needs. Thompson may be untouchable, but the Nuggets have to at least make the call if the Pistons are embarrassed by the Orlando Magic with a first-round out. That’s a big if.
Still just 23 years old, Thompson received the third-most votes in a runaway Defensive Player of the Year vote, which may overstate his immediate value a tad, but if there’s a target for Denver, it’s that guy.
Thompson would be a monster athlete and rim finisher who would be tailor-made for Jokić’s virtuoso passing abilities. You thought Gordon in the dunker spot next to Jokić was a devastating threat? Ausar could be even more electric in that role. Of course, he’ll need to dramatically improve his outside shooting to maximize his potential, but Gordon was able to do that when he caught passes from Jokić.
We’ll see what happens in the Orlando series, but it’s easy to see that Detroit’s half-court offense needs a massive upgrade in the shot-creation department and few players would shore up that department better than Murray in his prime. The Pistons’ core will get more expensive once Jalen Duren’s extension kicks in, but there are serious questions about whether Duren and Thompson can coexist in the half-court in the playoffs.
