The Denver Nuggets might need to make a radical move to extend their contention window.
The Denver Nuggets have faced some major talent drain over the last two seasons, with their core championship players having left the team, with secondary pieces such as Reggie Jackson also being moved. With few remaining ways to reshape their roster, they might need to consider a radical shift and move Jamal Murray to add depth and more sustainable younger pieces.
Murray might have had a rough summer after a Playoff exit, but he’s still one of the most clutch guards in the NBA and seems to be a borderline All-Star almost every season. The Nuggets could use him to add multiple players while a win-now team like the Miami Heat can focus on their goal of remaining competitive in the Eastern Conference.
Trade Details
Denver Nuggets: Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, Josh Richardson, 2029 First-Round Pick (MIA)
Miami Heat: Jamal Murray, Kelly Olynyk, Julian Strawther
Toronto Raptors: Duncan Robinson, 2026 Second-Round Pick (LAL), 2031 Second-Round Pick (DEN)
The likelihood of the Nuggets breaking up the Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray duo is nearly zero, but it’s interesting to see what the Nuggets could try to fetch in hypothetical deals made by fans. This deal gets the Nuggets robust rotational depth while adding a pick, with the Heat adding multiple win-now pieces in a deal also featuring the Raptors.
The Nuggets Make A Difficult Decision
Jamal Murray is a homegrown Nuggets icon who’ll likely have his jersey retired for his part in the franchise’s first-ever NBA Championship win. Murray has been a steady No. 2 to Jokic for years, with his importance being made clear with the lack of success the Nuggets enjoyed the two seasons he spent injured. But his regression in the 2024 Playoffs and Olympics will be concerning for a player with a complicated injury history.
Tyler Herro has similar struggles staying healthy, averaging 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 42 games last season. He isn’t as polished as Miurray as a scorer or passer but is a talented combo guard who could be a complementary fit to Jokic.
Nikola Jovic is a talented young forward who spent the summer playing alongside Jokic for the Serbian national team. Their rapport and chemistry could be an easy fit into the Nuggets rotation, as he averaged 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists last season.
Josh Richardson is a serviceable multi-positional player who could play across both backcourt positions if required. The team will add three seasoned rotational players, with both Herro and Jovic still having some upside that could be generated playing alongside Jokic. Trading Murray will be emotionally rough, but this sort of return might justify it for Denver.
The Heat Pushes For Contention In The East
The Heat are looking stagnant in an incredibly active Eastern Conference which has seen multiple contenders try to strengthen their team over the summer. The Heat have only added Alec Burks in a signing which is solid but isn’t enough to return the Heat to the top of the East. They need to shake their roster up and can acquire three useful pieces in this deal.
Jamal Murray averaged 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists last season while repeatedly proving himself as one of the clutches Playoff performers in the NBA. He’s a skilled playmaker and free-wheeling scorer who would be an easy upgrade over Tyler Herro at their point guard position. In addition to Murray, the acquisition of Kelly Olynyk from the Toronto Raptors adds a multi-dimensional big man to the Heat roster, one who can also space the floor. He averaged 9.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists last season.
Herro’s utility on the Heat has been in question over recent seasons, with the team effectively performing at a similar level with him in or out of the lineup. Jovic has struggled to break through within the Heat system while Josh Richardson is an end-of-the-bench veteran. Murray and Olynyk could possibly be starters on day one, allowing the Heat to also experiment with lineup options with Bam Adebayo at the four.
Julian Strawther might not be a rotational player in his first season on the Heat but is a young swingman with strong two-way potential.
The Raptors Help Make This Deal Make Sense
The Raptors act as a salary dumping ground in this deal by becoming the team that acquired Duncan Robinson’s nearly-$20 million contract. Robinson averaged 12.9 points on 39.5% from three last season, showing he could still be a valuable NBA player. It’ll be very challenging for the Raptors to move him this season, but he could be a valuable trade chip next season as an expiring high-accuracy shooter.
The Nuggets wouldn’t want to take on that salary and the Heat needed to include it to make the Murray acquisition possible. Given the rotational depth the Nuggets get and the fact that the Heat is salary-dumping Robinson, both teams will send a second-round pick each to the Raptors to make this deal happen.
Robinson won’t factor into any winning plans for a stuck-in-the-middle Raptors roster. They’re still young and developing, so this season might be one with a Play-In ceiling for the franchise.
What Grade Should This Trade Be?
This is a high-risk deal for two of the three parties, as it involves shuffling around pieces that have become integral in the franchise’s recent successes. However, one team is risking a lot more for a smaller reward in this trade.
Denver Nuggets: B
The Nuggets shouldn’t have any complaints about the deal from a value perspective. Not only do they get a future first-round pick from the Heat, but they get three rotational players who can plug into their roster. Instead of taking a risk on developing Strawther in the middle of their contending window, they take the short-term upgrade in a veteran like Richardson.
Saying goodbye to Murray will be nearly impossible, but Herro can replicate similar production, though not with the same clutch record. Jovic might be the best asset in the deal as he gets to feature on the Nuggets’ frontline as a bench piece and could get a chance to develop alongside his national teammate Jokic.
Miami Heat: C-
The Heat shouldn’t be too excited about Jamal Murray in this deal, especially because he seems to be going downhill in terms of production. His scoring output has started slowly decreasing while his efficiency has become erratic. He might be better than Herro for next season, but this deal isn’t enough to make the Heat compete against the 76ers, Knicks, and Celtics.
They give up future equity for an old player. While they get some redeemable young pieces, the Heat face Jimmy Butler possibly leaving in free agency next season, so getting stuck with a Murray-Adebayo duo without young stars for the future could be a very tricky situation for the Heat. This deal isn’t enough to make them win a title now but is a ticket to lottery appearance years from now if things go badly.
Toronto Raptors: B
They get two second-round picks for an expensive cap dump, which is unfortunate. There are times of the season when a dump like this would be worth at least a first-round pick, but two seconds isn’t a bad haul for essentially being a facilitator. Robinson could even be a useful shooting mentor to the likes of Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter.
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