Nuggets' decision takes potential Heat target off the market

Take another potential trade target for the Miami Heat off the market.

Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets have agreed to a four-year, $208 million maximum contract extension, keeping Murray off the free-agent market next summer. 

The Heat have made a habit of monitoring the league for disgruntled stars who could force their way to Miami and Murray made sense as a name to keep an eye on.

Had the Nuggets’ notoriously cheap ownership group decided not to extend Murray, he could have sought a long-term deal elsewhere within the calendar year. That option is no longer on the table. Murray is now under contract for the next five seasons. 

Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray agreed to an extension over the weekend, taking him off the market for the Heat next summer.

It’s a smart move by the Nuggets, who lock up a cornerstone to their 2023 championship team and a player with extraordinary chemistry with Nikola Jokic.

Despite helping lead the Nuggets to a championship in 2023, there were questions about Murray’s value after he struggled in the playoffs and Olympics this summer. But Murray is also coming off arguably his best regular season, when he averaged 21.2 points on 48.1% shooting and 6.5 assists. 

Had he been available, Murray would have made a lot of stylistic sense for the Heat. His proven ability to play off a playmaking center would have been a natural fit with Bam Adebayo, and his shot-making could have lifted Miami’s struggling offense.

With Murray off the table, the Heat have to cross another name off the white board.