Tag: Denver Nuggets

Jamal Murray has signed a huge extension with the Denver Nuggets

Former Kentucky basketball star Jamal Murray signs a $200 million extension with the Denver Nuggets.

It has been a good Summer for former Kentucky basketball star, and current Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. He represented Canada at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and made it to the knockout stage. Now, he has signed a big new contract extension worth $208 million over four years.

Murray spent just one season at Kentucky, averaging 20 points per game. He made over 40% of his three-pointers and put up over 5 rebounds per game en route to being named All-SEC and All-American.

Related: Kentucky gets commitment from Jasper Johnson

The Nuggets drafted Murray with the seventh overall pick in 2016, and he has been terrific for them since. Over his seven seasons, he is averaging 17.5 points and 4.5 assists per game, while shooting 38% from three-point range.

The new deal means Murray will be in Denver for five more seasons, at a total of $244 million. His 2024-25 salary will be $36 million, and will make over $57 million in the final year.

The Nuggets are a team that clearly wants to keep Murray around and feels like he helps them be a championship caliber team. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Dirk Nowitzki wants Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic to team up and it’s not as unlikely as you might think

Do you think we will ever see the two best European players on the same team?

Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Bryan Kalbrosky.

It may sound like Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki is writing fan fiction about Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic as teammates.

But the reality is that Nowitzki’s dream of seeing Doncic and Jokic on the same team one day, while improbable, is not impossible. During a send-off for longtime NBA guard Goran Dragic in Slovenia last week, Nowitzki spoke about the possibility.

Here is what the 2011 NBA Finals MVP said about the 2023 NBA Finals MVP potentially playing alongside Doncic one day (via Eurohoops.net):

“They both have a great relationship with each other, they respect each other and like each other genuinely. They spend time with each other. I’m not sure, but of course, we want Luka in Dallas as long as we can. Hopefully, he finishes his career there, but I love Jokic’s game, how he plays the game with passion, and the skill level as a big is unbelievable. They’re both incredible players.”

During an interview with his teammate Michael Porter Jr. last season, Doncic was one of the first names that Jokic mentioned when asked who he felt were the best players in the league.

The two players also genuinely seemed to enjoy each other’s company at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. They also goofed around during Dragic’s send-off game.

Last season, Jokic said that he would be open to teaming up with Doncic in the NBA. However, he added that he doesn’t want to leave Denver and that Doncic could join him on the Nuggets if he decides he is done with Dallas.

Cooper Flagg Sneakers

Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Cooper Flagg is attending Duke next season. Duke is a Nike school. But the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft just signed a deal with New Balance.

How will that work? Mike Sykes has more:

“This wasn’t supposed to happen. We’re not supposed to be here. Cooper Flagg is not supposed to be signed to New Balance today.

Yet, here we are.

This morning, New Balance released a promotional video featuring Flagg. It showed him shooting hoops in a driveway until a paper boy throws a newspaper in the driveway with a headline announcing Flagg’s decision.

New Balance labeled Flagg’s choice as “The Intelligent Choice,” seemingly taking a shot at the competitors around them. This was the brand’s announcement that they’d signed the newly minted Duke basketball star to a shoe deal.”

Shootaround

NBA 2K

— Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are tied for the best rating in NBA 2K25

— Magic Johnson ripped Anthony Edwards after hearing his controversial thoughts about older NBA generations

— Kristin Juszczyk designed a sick pair of Kobe Bryant-themed pants for his daughter

— HoopsHypes explained what NBA teams should do with their open roster spots

The Western Conference isn’t as scary as it seems for the Lakers

Lakers fans shouldn’t fret too much about the competition in the Western Conference.

The narrative around the Los Angeles Lakers these days is that they’ve had a terrible offseason and that they won’t get much accomplished this coming season. While the former is true, the latter may or may not come to pass.

One argument more cynical fans and pundits have made against the Lakers having any real success is that the Western Conference will be much tougher this coming season. In their minds, a bunch of teams will be substantially better, leaving the Lakers to idle in the dust.

But a closer examination puts that claim in some real doubt.

In the 2023-24 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed the top seed in the West with a 57-25 record. The Denver Nuggets were second with 57 wins of their own, and the Minnesota Timberwolves were third at 56-26.

After that, there was a considerable drop-off of sorts. The Los Angeles Clippers, who have been the darlings of the national media for most of the past five seasons and have often been overwhelming favorites to reach the NBA Finals, won a mere 51 games. The Dallas Mavericks, who did reach the finals, finished fifth with a 50-32 record.

Then came the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans, both of whom took home 49 victories. The Lakers, of course, had the seventh-best record in the West at 47-35.

Here’s a look at who should be better, who should be worse and who will roughly stay put. As you will see, there is no one for the Lakers to truly fear in the Western Conference right now.

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Unique 2024-25 back-to-back against Nuggets could determine seeding for OKC Thunder

Unique 2024-25 back-to-back against Nuggets could determine seeding for OKC Thunder.

If the Oklahoma City Thunder hope to repeat as the top seed, they will likely need to win tiebreakers if they are required. After all, that’s how the Thunder ultimately won the first seed on the last day of the regular season last year.

With that in mind, a critical back-to-back late in the 2024-25 season could prove vital for OKC’s ambitions of a first seed. The Thunder have 16 back-to-backs this season — tied for the most among playoff squads.

A unique set involves a home back-to-back against the Denver Nuggets. OKC will host them on Mar. 9-10. It’s its only back-to-back where it plays the same team twice in a row.

Considering how late this is into the season, there’s a strong chance that both fanbases will circle these contests on their calendar. As they get closer to the end of the season, standings will matter more.

To add to the uniqueness, the first contest will be held at 12 p.m. CT on ABC. The second will be a standard 7 p.m. CT tip. This means that both squads will get a semi-off day between games. This could benefit either or both sides depending on where the teams stand on the injury front.

Expect the Thunder and Nuggets to be two of the top teams in the Western Conference again this season. They roster MVP candidates in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.

A potential playoff series could be decided by homecourt — especially considering Denver’s altitude advantage. This back-to-back could be under a microscope and have massive consequences at the end of the year.

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Report: OKC Thunder to face Denver Nuggets on road in 2024-25 season opener

Report: OKC Thunder to face Denver Nuggets on road in 2024-25 season opener.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will open their 2024-25 season on the road against the Denver Nuggets, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The contest tips off on Thursday, Oct. 24 on TNT.

It will be a matchup of two of the top teams in the Western Conference. Both were the top two seeds last season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic are expected to be loud participants in the MVP conversation next season.

After a first-seed finish last season, expect the Thunder to be a title contender for the foreseeable future. This means more exposure on the national stage with contests at TNT and ESPN.

OKC’s season opener being on national television is a strong sign they’ll be a frequent guest at that level.

The Thunder’s full 2024-25 regular season will be unveiled on Thursday, Aug. 15. Part of it has already been announced via the NBA Cup group schedule.

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Nets’ Lonnie Walker IV regarded as one of the best remaining NBA free-agents

Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report considers Brooklyn Nets guard Lonnie Walker IV to be one of the best NBA free-agents right now.

The Brooklyn Nets have already made most of the moves that they’re going to make in free-agency this summer as they seek to evaluate their young players this upcoming season. There is still one player that played for Brooklyn last season that’s still a free-agent and he’s regarded as one of the best that remain.

Nets guard Lonnie Walker IV is still a free-agent as of this writing and at the moment, there doesn’t seem to be any indication of where he will be playing for the 2024-25 campaign. Granted, training camp for the NBA will most likely begin in late September so Walker still has plenty of time before making his next decision.

In a recent article by Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, Walker was regarded as one of the five best free-agents remaining, but he suggested that Walker’s best landing spot is not with the Nets. Swartz suggested that the best spot for Walker is with the Denver Nuggets as he can bring some much-needed three-point shooting to a team that will be missing some outside shooting with the loss of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Walker played well for the Nets last season, but his role changed amidst injuries and a coaching change for a Brooklyn team that disappointingly missed the postseason entirely. If Walker is looking to bet on himself so that he could have a bigger payday next offseason, the Nuggets could be another team for him to consider as he weighs his options this summer.

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Rumor: Nuggets granted disabled player exception for DaRon Holmes II

The Nuggets have reportedly been granted a disabled player exception for the injury sustained by rookie DaRon Holmes II.

The Denver Nuggets have reportedly been granted a disabled player exception for $1.53 million for the injury sustained by rookie DaRon Holmes II, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Holmes underwent surgery last month to repair a torn right Achilles suffered in his debut with the Nuggets on July 12 in summer league. The team will provide updates on his status as appropriate, though the 22nd pick is expected to miss the entire 2024-25 season.

Teams can apply for a disabled player exception once it is determined that a player has suffered a season-ending injury. This allows over-the-cap teams some financial flexibility to add a player via signing, trade or waiver claim by March 10.

Holmes had made a productive debut with the Nuggets before the injury, recording 11 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal in 25 minutes. He finished by shooting 4-of-8 from the field, including a perfect 3-of-3 from 3-point range.

The news of the injury is devastating to Holmes and the team after the 21-year-old established himself as a first-round pick. After a tremendous collegiate career at Dayton, he was projected to be the backup center for the Nuggets behind Nikola Jokić.

Holmes was a consensus second-team All-American last season with the Flyers, averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks in 33 games. He was also named the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

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A wobbly Nikola Jokic delightfully received his Olympic bronze alongside his Serbian teammates

Nikola Jokic and the Serbians know how to have a good time.

With a population of roughly 6.6 million, the country of Serbia winning any one Olympic medal is a massive achievement in itself. And the most celebrated Serbian medal from the Paris Olympics just might be three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Co. capturing the bronze for men’s basketball.

After beating Germany in a game where Nikola Jokic dropped the fifth triple-double in men’s Olympic history and became the first player ever to lead the entire Olympic field in points, rebounds, and assists, they knew how they had to celebrate.

In fact, because they had an early morning game against the Germans, the Serbians had a lot of time to kill. So, after receiving just the eighth men’s basketball medal in the nation’s history on Saturday, Jokic and friends ventured to really maximize their time for the rest of the day.

But even after all the fun they had together, and after Team USA dispatched France, Serbia had to return to get its bronze medals from the International Olympic Committee … while being filmed on international television.

It’s almost like they accounted for this.

Throughout the ceremony, it was clear that a wobbly Nikola Jokic was still living it up after winning a medal with his countrymen:

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Every piece of it seemed to be positively delightful for Jokic and the Serbians:

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Check out this moment with Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol:

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Never doubt that the Serbians know how to live in the moment and revel in something they accomplished. As ever, after achieving glory on an international stage, they were led even here by their leader, Jokic — the man who, once again, proved he was the best player in the world during this Olympic tournament.

Nuggets sign undrafted forward Spencer Jones to two-way contract

Former Stanford forward Spencer Jones, who went undrafted this year, signed a two-way contract with the Nuggets this week.

Former Stanford forward Spencer Jones, who went undrafted this year, signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets this week, the team announced.

Jones averaged 11.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, two assists and 1.4 assists on 40.9% shooting from 3-point range in 25 games last season as a fifth-year senior. He scored in double figures 14 times, including a season-high 30 points on Jan. 20.

The 23-year-old left the program as the all-time leader in 3s (315) and games played (146). He was named to the All-Pac-12 second team as a senior in 2023.

Jones dealt with an illness this month that limited him to just one appearance in the NBA Summer League with the Portland Trail Blazers in Las Vegas, Nevada. He recorded one rebound and one blocked shot in seven minutes of action on July 13.

The 6-foot-7 standout is highly touted as a shooter and was viewed as one of the top marksmen in the draft this year. He also brings good size and a blend of other offensive skills with him that should enable him to find success next season.

Jones will split his time between the NBA and the Grand Rapids Gold in the G League. He is eligible to be active for up to 50 games in the NBA and will earn a flat salary equal to 50% of the minimum salary applicable to a player with zero years of service.

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Nikola Jovic devastatingly botched what would’ve been Nikola Jokic’s historic Olympics triple-double

Nikola Jokic was unbelievably close to Olympics history.

After getting walloped by Team USA in its Paris Olympics opener, the Serbian men’s basketball team had a lot of work to do against Puerto Rico on Wednesday. With a 107-66 blowout victory, the Serbians, led by superstar Nikola Jokic, passed their test with flying colors, flipping their -26 point differential coming in to a solid +15 margin.

Jokic, in particular, and unsurprisingly, was in his bag.

The three-time NBA MVP with the Denver Nuggets dropped an effortless 14 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists while missing just two shots. With no real challenge from the Puerto Rican front line, Jokic was in complete control, even throwing casual “touchdown passes” to teammates down the court without a second thought:

Ironically, the same person who caught this above pass — Miami Heat power forward Nikola Jovic — is also who cost Jokic a chance at all-time Olympics history in Serbia’s dominant win.

That’s because with the Serbians cruising, it had no incentive to play Jokic in the fourth quarter. They don’t want to tire him out in an easy win when there will likely be more competitive games in these Olympics in the near future. But before being benched for rest at the end of the third quarter, Jokic still found Jovic for an easy layup that would’ve given the center only the fourth triple-double in the history of the men’s Olympics.

And … Jovic smoked it, forcing Jokic to take the offensive rebound and score himself. Jokic would not reenter the game later, finishing with just nine assists while ending his chances of being etched into the lore of international basketball. Oof.

For reference, the three triple-doubles in men’s Olympics history came from:

  1. Sasha Belov for the Soviet Union against Canada during Montreal 1976
  2. LeBron James for the USA against Australia in London 2012
  3. Luka Doncic for Slovenia against France in Tokyo 2021

If there’s any consolation for Jokic, it that he probably doesn’t care he missed out on this individual feat. He wants Serbia to win first and foremost, to get a medal in these Olympics, because he’s a team guy first and foremost.

Here was teammate Bogdan Bogdanovic’s take on Jokic missing out, per FIBA:

“We heard that he’s on 9 assists, somebody shouted it from the stands,” Bogdanovic said. “But trust me, he doesn’t really care about this stuff.”

That’s all well and good, but it still would’ve been really cool for Jokic to etch his name into the record books for Serbia with an Olympics triple-double. That’s not a chance you get every day. This is only Jokic’s second-ever Olympics playing for his home country, after all.

At least the big man is likely to get a few more opportunities to do so in Paris.