2019 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Jamal Murray: 5 years, $170 million (Denver Nuggets)
Denver Nuggets rising star Jamal Murray has agreed to a five-year, $170M maximum contract extension, agent Mike George of OneLegacy tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2019
It may seem like a reach to pay an up-and-down youngster this much money, but Jamal Murray has legitimate star upside. While he was all over the map during his first venture into the postseason, when Murray was on, he was a legitimate showstopper.
As he hones in on his consistency and grows more familiar with the highs and lows of NBA playoff basketball, Murray has a chance to be a lightning rod scorer and deadly 3-point weapon. The Denver Nuggets saw plenty of that during the regular season too, like when he approached 50 points twice.
Murray is only 22 years old, he just posted 18.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game on 36.7 percent shooting from 3 in his third season, and as he improves as a more efficient scorer and playmaker, he should quickly live up to the value of this deal.
Grade: A-