Whereas Jamal Murray once complemented Nikola Jokic, he's now wholly dependent on him; he's jerry-rigged his game around Jokic such that he can't stand on his own. Yet he remains irreplaceable for the Nuggets.
Team-building is a controlled burn. It’s too expensive and too restrictive to pay everyone; you have to decide whom you can lose. Until recently the Denver Nuggets have been immune to these stresses, even as they’ve shed key rotation pieces. After all, they have Nikola Jokic—they don’t really need much else. His greatness is a walled garden.
As such, Murray’s status in Denver has been thrown into limbo for the first time. A free agent after next season, Murray was close to signing a four-year, $209 million extension earlier in the offseason, but those talks have apparently—and understandably—stalled. Still, while maxing Murray could be foolish, losing him would be disastrous. Crucially, Murray elevates the Nuggets from a good team to an elite one. Over their seven seasons together, Murray and Jokic have grown into the NBA’s greatest jam band. More than any other player, Murray has discovered how to harness Jokic’s unique genius. In the two-man game, they trade glances and impromptu feints until they pry open the defense.
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