Inside The Nuggets

NBA Trade Idea Sends $158M Denver Nuggets Star to Miami Heat

This hypothetical trade idea would shake things up for the Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, and Atlanta Hawks

Joey Linn

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) celebrates his basket with center Nikola Jokic (15) and forward Aaron Gordon (50) in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at Ball Arena.
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) celebrates his basket with center Nikola Jokic (15) and forward Aaron Gordon (50) in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at Ball Arena. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
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While they lost starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency, the Denver Nuggets remain one of the NBA’s top teams. Led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets will be in the mix as long as he is on the court.

Star point guard Jamal Murray has been a great co-star next to Jokic since Denver’s rise to contender status, but with his contract situation still unresolved, some have speculated if the 2023 NBA champion will remain with the Nuggets longterm.

There has been optimism expressed by Denver that reaching an extension with Murray will be easy, but that has yet to take place. If the team has reservations about his durability, could a trade be explored?

In a recent hypothetical trade proposal, Rohan Raman of Atlanta Hawks on SI created a scenario where Murray lands with the Miami Heat.

Atlanta Hawks receive: Terry Rozier, Josh Richardson, Nikola Jovic, Peyton Watson, 2026 2nd round pick (via Miami Heat), 2031 1st round pick (top-5 protected, via Denver Nuggets)

Miami Heat receive: Jamal Murray, DeAndre Hunter, Garrison Mathews, 2025 1st round pick (protected 1-12, via Sacramento)

Denver Nuggets receive: Tyler Herro, Kobe Bufkin, Cody Zeller, Pelle Larsson, 2026 1st round pick (unprotected, via Miami Heat), 2031 1st round pick (unprotected, via Miami Heat)

Jimmy Butler and Jamal Murray
Feb 29, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) controls the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) guards in the first quarter at Ball Arena. / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

As Raman emphasized, this is a hypothetical trade scenario and not one any of the teams involved are exploring.

For Atlanta, this trade would bolster their rebuild/retool effort with young pieces like Jovic and Watson while also adding draft picks. For Denver, they would land some scoring production in Herro in addition to three more players and draft compensation. Finally for Miami, they would receive a championship point guard in Murray to pair with Jimmy Butler.

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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