The Denver Nuggets may be looking at the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo situation and seeing a warning flare, not a blueprint.
This offseason, Milwaukee and its superstar finally went their separate ways. Antetokounmpo had long been viewed as a Buck for life, but that belief eventually gave way to reality. Now Denver has its own version of that anxiety sitting in plain sight with Nikola Jokic.
Jokic has passed on contract extension chances in each of the past two offseasons. That decision keeps the door open to something far bigger down the line: in 2027, he could be eligible for a five-year, $359.5 million contract.
But it also leaves the Nuggets exposed to a tougher outcome. He could decline his 2027-28 player option and reach unrestricted free agency, or at the very least use that leverage to push Denver toward a trade.
That is the nightmare version, and it remains a long shot. Still, it is not something the Nuggets can ignore. The only real answer is to keep giving Jokic reasons to stay.
ESPN’s Ben Golliver thinks Denver may eventually go down the same road Milwaukee did, and he sees Jamal Murray as the piece most likely to get sacrificed in the process.
"The Nuggets will decide they have no choice but to split up Jokic and Murray. Denver's dynamic duo has been together since 2016, but another poor offseason has left the Nuggets at risk of backsliding further from the heights of their 2023 title.
During Antetokounmpo's final years in Milwaukee, the Bucks parted with Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Damian Lillard as they frantically attempted to get back to their winning ways. Murray could easily become a casualty of the same desperation," Golliver wrote.
That’s a move the Nuggets should resist. Milwaukee’s attempt to reshuffle around Antetokounmpo didn’t exactly calm the waters, and it looked more like it accelerated the tension than solved it. Jokic and Murray have already established themselves as one of the NBA’s best tandems, and breaking that up without Jokic’s blessing would be a major misread.
There were already fans pushing the idea of moving Murray this offseason, though much of that came after his rough playoff showing. But Murray is also coming off a career year, one that reinforced his standing as one of the league’s top point guards. Until there’s real proof that this partnership can’t contend for a title, Denver has little reason to blow it up.
And if 2027 brings another disappointing finish, the trade talk will only get louder. Even so, moving Murray just to keep Jokic content in Denver would be a risky gamble.
Since 2016, Murray has been the one constant alongside Jokic. Taking him out of the picture might do the opposite of what the Nuggets want and push Jokic closer to the exit.
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