Jamal Murray’s $208 million Nuggets extension makes him highest-paid non-All-Star in NBA history
Jamal Murray will not hit free agency after the 2024-25 NBA season. The Canadian agreed a four-year, $208 million extension with the Denver Nuggets, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Murray’s deal will keep him in Mile High City unless traded.
“Glitch” is in the final year of a five-year, $158.2 million rookie extension signed in 2019. During that span, he has blossomed into one of the best players in the NBA, particularly in the playoffs. Murray’s partnership with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is arguably the best in the league.
Per HoopsHype, Jamal Murray’s new contract makes him the highest earner among players with no All-Star selections.
Second on that list is Tobias Harris with $303 million while CJ McCollum rounds out the top three with $281.1 million. The New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby, who signed a five-year, $212.5 million contract in July, is fourth with a total of $274.3 million. Detroit’s Cade Cunningham follows Anunoby with $269 million.
Murray may not have earned an All-Star selection but the Nuggets have been treating him like one. The point guard played a huge role in the team’s run to the 2023 championship. If he stays healthy, Murray might eventually earn that honor in the next few years.
The Nuggets gave Jamal Murray a max extension despite a subpar 2024 playoffs
During the 2024 playoffs, Jamal Murray averaged 20.6 points per game, the lowest in four postseason appearances. Compared to the previous year, his points, assists, rebounds, shooting percentage and 3-point efficiency all went south. Despite the significant drop, the Denver Nuggets rewarded him with a massive extension.
The Canadian isn’t a stranger to adversity, though. He sat out the entire 2021-22 season due to a devastating injury. Murray returned to help the Nuggets win their first and only franchise championship in 2023. If he can bounce back from that obstacle, Denver’s front office must be confident last season was just a hiccup.
Nikola Jokic must also be a significant reason the Denver Nuggets extended Jamal Murray. The two have developed enviable chemistry that teams have had problems defending. At their best, the Jokic-Murray 1-2 punch is as unstoppable as any tandem in the NBA. Denver didn’t want to lose that, particularly with Jokic still in the prime of his career.
Murray thanked the Nuggets following their 2023 championship for not giving up on him when he went down with an injury. Denver continues to show faith in him by giving him over $200 million in the next four years after last season’s somewhat underwhelming performance.