The Denver Nuggets wasted no time adding talent to their roster this offseason after a second-round exit to the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Bringing in Cam Johnson, Jonas Valančiūnas, Bruce Brown, and others is certainly a huge step in the right direction. However, the right opportunity could encourage the Nuggets to further tear apart the core that hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2023. The priority is competing with Nikola Jokić at the helm, which star guard Jamal Murray may no longer be suited to do.
Although Murray is remaining consistently on the floor with solid statistics, sometimes significant changes are needed to reach the biggest stage.
Nuggets Predicted To Cut Ties With Jamal Murray in Trade for LeBron James
Trading Murray is not a terrible idea, but dealing him for a 40-year-old LeBron James entering the final year of his contract is a different story.
Still, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale shockingly predicts the Lakers and Nuggets could complete a blockbuster trade that would bring James to Denver in exchange for Murray and one or two smaller contracts (Peyton Watson, DaRon Holmes II, Hunter Tyson, Jalen Pickett).
“Going from the 28-year-old Murray to a 40-year-old LeBron is quite the timeline acceleration,” Favale wrote. “And look, if you gave the Nuggets front office truth serum, there’s a chance they may prefer the flexibility of LeBron’s expiring contract and career twilight to the four-year, $207.8 million max deal Murray is about to start.”
It’s hard to imagine the Lakers holding any interest in adding Murray to their roster because of his fit alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as well as his lucrative $208 million contract just beginning. This means the only way this deal takes place from L.A.’s point of view is if James requests a trade specifically to the Nuggets, which seems far from the realm of serious possibilities. So, this trade idea is already off to a poor start.
From the Nuggets’ perspective, it’s understandable why they’re so desperate to contend. Jokić is one of the most talented offensive players of all-time, and the organization is at risk of losing him in the 2027 offseason if they don’t act swiftly.
Nikola Jokic has told the Nuggets he doesn’t plan to sign a contract extension this offseason, per @BennettDurando
(Via https://t.co/L6oN05p4Dg) pic.twitter.com/jvq9pNyxcX
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 8, 2025
However, the Nuggets are two years away from that worrying scenario possibly becoming a reality. Given their abundance of moves already this offseason, it’s in their best interest to allow this new-look rotation to show what they’re made of.
There’s a real chance Murray fails to rise to the occasion in the 2026 playoffs or even meshes poorly with the Nuggets’ handful of new additions. In that case, the Nuggets should explore trades involving the NBA champion, but not for a veteran James running low on time in the league.
