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With the Nuggets determined to retain upcoming restricted free agent Peyton Watson and several teams set to hunt for dynamic forwards and small-ball centers, Gordon is a name to monitor that might become available on the table, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer. "Whether that's Cam Johnson, that's Christian Braun, or Aaron Gordon, it really sounds like that pretty much everyone outside of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic is going to be discussable for the Nuggets front-office leadership group," Fischer said on Bleacher Report. "I don’t know. Whether or not, the price point would end up be enough for Denver to actually move on from Aaron Gordon but he’s someone that could fit all across the league, in any situations."
By all accounts, incoming head coach Gordie Herbert – the team’s third bench boss in the span of three years – will continue to enforce it and prioritize continuity. It served the British Columbia native well during his stint at the helm of the German National Team, leading them to a gold medal at the 2023 World Cup and a fourth-place finish in Paris. “If guys don’t commit this summer, they’re not in,” said Herbert, who served as an assistant with the Raptors in 2008-09 and has coached around the globe, currently in the Australian National Basketball League. “When I was with Germany, we had six or seven NBA guys and three guys didn’t come, they didn’t want to come. All of sudden they wanted to come [in] Year 2. Sorry. You can’t be successful in anything without commitment, in my opinion.” It’s a strong stance to take with Jamal Murray, the country’s second-best active player and, probably, third-best player ever.
Josh Lewenberg: To sum up NBAers in for Canada this summer: SGA, NAW, Barrett, Brooks, Dort, Nembhard bros, Mathurin, Olynyk, George, Miller Out this summer but in for this cycle: Edey, Powell Didn’t commit: Murray, Sharpe, Wiggins Committed but not selected: Lawson, Banton, Houstan, Prosper
The Thunder center had not been sleeping. He wasn’t stationed in a back seat away from the action. He wasn’t hanging with the coaching staff, who sit in a different section, sequestered from his teammates’ social activity. Yet, he stood up to blurt out a major announcement, one he was certain no one on the plane had yet realized. “Oh!” he yelled. “Jamal Murray had 53! Y’all see that?!” Without hesitation, the Thunder players merged, all cackling simultaneously. Holmgren realized what had happened. It was not his first time zoning out only to enter a conversation without realizing it had already begun. Within seconds, he was giggling just as hard as everyone else. “It’s funny, because it’s Chet,” said Kenrich Williams, one of Holmgren’s closest friends on the Thunder. “That’s Chet. He’s in his own world, man.”
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NBA Communications: The 2025-26 Kia All-NBA Third Team: Jalen Duren, @DetroitPistons Chet Holmgren, @okcthunder Jalen Johnson, @ATLHawks Tyrese Maxey, @sixers Jamal Murray, @nuggets
We learned that in NBA playoff history, only four-time NBA champion LeBron James has won more playoff games without All-Star help than Jokic, and he only accomplished that because of his 200 extra playoff appearances. It would not be surprising at all to see Jokic earn this record outright before it's all said and done. Jokic has won 51 playoff games in his career without an All-Star teammate. James? 66. And Jokic's number would be a bit higher had Jamal Murray not made an All-Star team for the first time in his career this season. What's more, unless we consider Murray a lock to become a perennial All-Star, then there's a very good chance Jokic surpasses James in this metric sooner rather than later, as he's got so much of his prime left to go.
Miroslav Ćuk: Matt Moore: (paraphrasing) Nikola and Jamal weren't capable of playing better defense like several years ago. How do you plan to address that next season, when they are a year older? David Adelman: Everybody needs to be better on defense next season.
The dramatic nature of the Nuggets’ fall, coupled with the reality that every team in the league would line up for the chance to trade for (or sign) Jokić, means the entire league will be watching to see if he signs the extension. If he does, it’s only natural to wonder whether the Nuggets might have some internal discussion about the second-highest-paid player on the roster: Jamal Murray. In contrast to Gordon, whose health struggles might make possible suitors wary if he were made available, the 29-year-old Murray is coming off the best regular season of his career. He is handsomely paid — three years and a combined $161 million left on his deal — and there is always robust market for elite scorers and playmakers. The danger is breaking up the Jokić-Murray two-man game that is widely considered the best in all the NBA.
Oh No He Didn't: Jamal Murray: "Feel like if I played a little better we would have had that game. It's just frustrating on my part. l'll take accountability for it. It was a rough night"
Jamal Murray:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 1, 2026
"Feel like if I played a little better we would have had that game. It's just frustrating on my part. l'll take accountability for it. It was a rough night" pic.twitter.com/9zeWkhBekl
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Tim Reynolds: Paolo Banchero and Cade Cunningham both have scored 45 so far tonight. It's the first time opposing players have done that in the same playoff game since Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray did it in the bubble.
NBA: Nuggets beat Timberwolves 125-113 to stay alive and trim the series to 3-2. ⚒️ Nikola Jokić: 27 PTS, 12 REB, 16 AST Jamal Murray: 24 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST
Bennett Durando: Jamal Murray on Nikola Jokic: "I thought the shots he took today, it wasn't like he doesn't make those every day of his life. So I've never seen him shoot what he shot today. That's just kind of an outlier type of game. Really from everybody. But we're not worried about Jok."
New Balance executive Chris Davis: If you look at the NBA, I’m pretty sure we have seven or eight All-Stars, starting with Kawhi (Leonard) to Zach LaVine, Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray, Dejounte Murray, Darius Garland, and then enter Cooper Flagg. In this year’s draft, we have Caleb Wilson, who is a star freshman from North Carolina and will be a top-five pick. And then as a senior in high school, we have Jordan Smith Jr., who’s the top recruit in the country going into the NCAA; he’s committed to Arkansas. So that’s what the basketball landscape looks like.
