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Murray was already under contract with the Nuggets through the 2024-25 campaign, but he and the Nuggets made sure he’d be staying around for quite a bit longer.
The 27-year-old helped lead the Nuggets to a championship in the 2022-23 season, averaging 20.0 points and 6.2 assists per game in the regular season.
Murray was electric in the playoffs, though, putting up 26.1 points and 7.1 assists per game. It was reminiscent of his excellent showing in the 2019-20 bubble playoffs that saw him average 26.5 points and 6.6 assists per contest and included a number of memorable games, including a pair of 50-point outbursts in the first round against the Utah Jazz.
That was his last playoff appearance until the title-winning run, however, as a torn ACL suffered in April 2021 kept him out of both those playoffs and the entirety of the 2021-22 season.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters in May 2023 that Murray had expressed doubts about his future in Denver following that injury:
“I remember being on the bus with [Murray after the injury]. He had tears in his eyes, and that was the message. ‘Hey man, you’re gonna come back from this and not only are you gonna come back, you’re gonna be better.’
“And in that moment, it’s really hard to believe that. His first thought was, ‘Man, are you gonna trade me? I’m damaged goods, are you guys gonna trade me now?’ I hugged him and I said, ‘Hell no! You’re ours. We love you, we’re gonna help you get back, and you’re gonna be a better player for it.'”
Malone’s words proved prophetic. Murray has helped the Nuggets reach new heights, and they responded by ensuring he would be under contract with the organization for many seasons to come.
That, in turn, should keep a core of Murray, three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and sharpshooter Michael Porter Jr. together for the foreseeable future. The 2023-24 season didn’t go to plan, as Murray only appeared in 59 games during the regular season and the Nuggets were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
But the Nuggets’ core remains one of the NBA’s best, and Murray has proved to be a championship-level point guard.
