Nuggets and Star Guard Jamal Murray Reportedly Engage in Contract Discussion Negotiations

Jamal Murray upped his game across the board last season, proving that he is the Denver Nuggets' point guard of the future. Due to his 2018-19 performance, the Nuggets have reportedly decided it's time to negotiate a new deal for Murray, and the two camps are currently involved in discussions, per Shams Charania.

Murray is still on his rookie deal, one that lasts through 2021 and is set to pay the guard just $4.4 million next season. This is a prime example of the Nuggets looking out for their own, electing to give Murray a raise before his current deal is up, but it is also a precautionary measure to ensure that Murray doesn't spend even a minute dreaming about the kind of offer sheets he might get down the line as a restricted free agent.

The Nuggets have an attractive young core, one that has only deepened and improved after the 2019 draft. Murray is a focal point of that core, one half of a brilliant inside-outside one-two punch with Nikola Jokic. He belongs in Denver, and they're rightly ready to pay up.