Denver Nuggets sign Jamal Murray to five-year extension

The Denver Nuggets have signed talented guard Jamal Murray to a five-year contract extension, the team announced today.  Other outlets have reported that the deal is worth $170 million.

“I want to thank the man above for showing my family and I how life works in a full circle,” said Jamal Murray. “I also want to thank the Nuggets organization for believing in a kid from a small unheard-of town in Canada, and finally to Nuggets fans, I can’t wait to shoot more arrows for you all.”

Murray, 22, had the best season of his young career in 2018-19, helping lead Denver to 54 games wins and the number two seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.  In 75 games (74 starts), he averaged career-highs in points (18.2), assists (4.8), and rebounds (4.2), while shooting 43.7% from the field, 36.7% from three and 84.8% from the free throw line.

“We were thrilled when we were able to draft Jamal in 2016 because we believed then, as we do now, that he is an extraordinary player and a key part of what we want to accomplish here in Denver," said President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly.  "Jamal has shown what he is capable of in his first three seasons in the NBA, particularly in last year’s playoff run, and his future is extremely bright.”

The Kitchener, Ontario, native appeared in his first postseason in 2019 helping the Nuggets reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. Murray elevated his game, averaging, 21.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.4 rebounds, while shooting 42.5% from the field and 90.3% from the charity stripe in 36.3 minutes per game.

“First I’d like to say congratulations to Jamal, I couldn’t be happier for him and his family,” said Head Coach Michael Malone. “He is a special young man who I’ve been lucky to coach since he was a rookie and I look forward to many more years together. Jamal has put in the time and hard work from day one and I have zero doubt he will continue to do so with the intense drive of becoming the best basketball player he possibly can and helping lead the Nuggets to our ultimate goal, an NBA Championship.”

Murray was drafted by the Nuggets with the 7th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of the University of Kentucky. Over three seasons with Denver, he has appeared in 238 games (164 starts), averaging 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 36.2% from long range in 28.5 minutes per game.

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com