One Nuggets Offseason Decision That Hasn't Been Talked About Enough

In a wild 2026 NBA offseason, the Denver Nuggets mostly decided to stand pat. Despite coming off a first-round playoff exit, in one of the most disappointing outcomes in Nuggets history, Denver's front office did not press the panic button. Now, they are going into the 2026-27 season with a tweaked lineup, but no drastic changes were made.

However, they undoubtedly had the opportunity to make the big change some fans were prepared for. This offseason, we saw NBA stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, LaMelo Ball, Paul George, Tyler Herro, Ja Morant, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram all traded this offseason. Amid all this madness, the Nuggets held onto their stars, and most notably, kept Jamal Murray out of trade talks.

Nuggets could've traded Jamal Murray

Apr 30, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coming off the best season of his career, earning his first All-Star and All-NBA honors, Murray's trade value had to have been as high as ever. In an offseason where the Nuggets were looking for ways to cut costs, it would not have been shocking to see Murray among the league's traded stars.

Murray is owed $50 million this season, and for a Nuggets team that sits in the second apron and had to part with Peyton Watson because of their financial situation, they actually could've benefited from finding a trade partner for the All-Star point guard.

At the start of the offseason, there was plenty of speculation about whether the Nuggets would shop Murray. He was coming off an underwhelming playoff series, and fans were hoping the front office had a big change in mind.

They have now gone three straight years without making it past the second round of the playoffs, and trading Murray would certainly shake things up, but for the better? Probably not. In a deal that would return them a pair of starting-caliber players while giving them the cap relief to comfortably bring back Watson, there is an argument that the Nuggets would've come out of the offseason better if that happened. However, that is not realistic.

Keeping Murray is the right decision

Jamal Murray pulled up to Switzerland vs. Serbia to support Nikola Jokic. 🙌

(via @Eurohoopsnet)

pic.twitter.com/YeqvYym6fL
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 2, 2026

Depending on what the Nuggets could've gotten in return for Murray, some can argue that the Nuggets should've traded him this offseason. There were fans pushing for the Nuggets to swap Murray for a defensive-minded guard like Jalen Suggs or Derrick White, but it is hard to say that either of those would've been the right move.

Murray, 29, averaged 25.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game for Denver last season, while shooting 48.3% from the field and 43.5% from beyond the arc. In a season where Nikola Jokic, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Peyton Watson all dealt with lengthy injury absences, Murray led the Nuggets to the NBA's top-ranked offense.

Sure, they need to focus on improving their defense, but they have one of the league's top duos in Jokic and Murray. Breaking those two up should be a last resort for the Nuggets, and the franchise has shown no signs of being that desperate just yet.

In an offseason when the Nuggets undoubtedly could've traded Murray, they opted to keep him and put their full faith in their current core. While more serious conversations could be had next offseason, depending on how the 2026-27 campaign goes, we should be excited for another year of Murray in a Nuggets uniform.

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