Denver Nuggets

Rival NBA teams reportedly haven't dedicated any resources to potentially luring Nikola Jokic away from the Denver Nuggets.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst recounted on The Hoop Collective podcast how front offices stockpiled cap space and assets for a possible Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit before he signed a five-year extension with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020, and he noted that hasn't happened with Jokic, who can become a free agent in 2023.

"No one that I've ever heard has talked about trying to steal Jokic," Windhorst said. "No one has talked about, 'Can we get him out of Denver?' And he just basically announces before [a supermax contract extension] is even offered, he'll sign it."

Typically, any time a superstar is a year from free agency, the rumor mill is already spinning with links to possible landing spots, but that hasn't been the case with Jokic.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday the 27-year-old center is set to win the NBA MVP Award for the second straight season, with a formal announcement to come this week.

Yet instead of prepping for a run at one of the league's gold standards, other teams are seemingly resigned to the fact he's staying in Denver, which is great news for the Nuggets.

Jokic is eligible to sign a five-year, $254 million extension with Denver this offseason, per ESPN's Bobby Marks. If added on to the last year of his current deal, it would keep him with the franchise for six more seasons through the 2027-28 campaign.

"I would like it, of course," Jokic said. "But it's not something that I'm deciding. I think if [the] offer is on the table, of course I'm going to accept it because I really like the organization, I really like the people who works here. I'm in [a] really good relationship with everybody from [the] owner to equipment manager."

The Serbian sensation has spent his entire NBA career with the Nuggets since being selected in the second round of the 2014 draft.

Jokic didn't arrive in Denver for another year, making his debut during the 2015-16 season, but he was obviously worth the wait as he transformed into a franchise cornerstone.

He's coming off a season where he set new career-highs in points (27.1 per game), rebounds (13.8), steals (1.5) and shooting percentage (58.3). He also averaged 7.9 assists and 1.3 threes.

If an extension is ultimately signed, the focus for the Nuggets will be trying to chase down an NBA title during that championship window. They reached the 2020 Western Conference Finals but were eliminated in the first round of this year's playoffs.

A healthy Jamal Murray, who missed the entire 2021-22 season while recovering from a torn ACL, would be a major boost to those efforts. The same goes for Michael Porter Jr., who was limited to nine games because of a back injury.

The fact the Nuggets still cruised to the playoffs despite those injuries highlights the MVP impact of Jokic, and getting his extension done would give the team more long-term financial clarity for the remainder of the offseason.

Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray holds all of the cards regarding his return to the court, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojarowski said Sunday on SportsCenter that Murray has been cleared and the team is willing to let him choose whether he plays: 

He has been scrimmaging with the Nuggets for a couple of weeks now. He's looked good according to all eyes on him in Denver, but he's going to have to make a decision that he's going to play in this series. ... But for Jamal Murray, again, a little like Ben Simmons, the Nuggets hope if he were to play could they get 15 minutes out of him to start, could he be somebody off their bench who could come in and start to do a little more each time out. But the Nuggets are also content to allow Jamal Murray to simply just come back for training camp next year off this injury.

The Denver floor general suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee against the Golden State Warriors on April 12, 2021. The team announced on April 21 that Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed reconstructive surgery on the ACL and Murray would be out indefinitely.

It's been a waiting game ever since.

In a March 2 interview with Adam Caparell of Complex, Murray would not commit to a timeline while providing an update.

I’m too far to tell. I’m obviously progressing every week. But I have my bad weeks where I can’t do the simple stuff and then I’ll have weeks where I feel like I can jump out of the gym. It’s just getting the stress pain down. Adding tolerance right now and trying to ramp it up. I don’t know. I’m in a good spot, I just don’t know the exact time right now.

Denver President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly provided a hopeful update on April 13, three days before the Nuggets' first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors started:

Murray was enjoying the best season of his five-year NBA career before the injury, averaging 21.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals. He shot a career-high 47.7 percent overall (40.8 percent from three-point range). That campaign helped Denver earn the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

The former Kentucky star broke out into superstardom during the previous year's playoffs, helping guide Denver to the Western Conference Finals after thrilling seven-game series wins over the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged 26.5 points and 6.6 assists during that postseason.

Without Murray, the Nuggets have rolled with Monte Morris, who averaged 12.6 points and 4.4 assists this season. Argentine floor general Facundo Campazzo has backed him up and averaged 5.1 points and 3.4 assists. 

Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland has also come on strong near the end of his rookie year and finished the season with 10.1 points in just 19.0 minutes per game.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters that point guard Jamal Murray, who has been sidelined since last April with a torn ACL in his left knee, is "not close" to returning to the lineup.

Murray, 25, averaged 21.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game last year. He suffered the injury April 12 in a game against the Golden State Warriors.

Per ESPN:

Murray suffered what appeared to be a noncontact injury during the Nuggets' 116-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. He crumpled to the ground in pain, clutching his left knee and pounding the court with his hand after trying to split two Warriors defenders on a drive with 50.6 seconds remaining and the Nuggets trailing 111-104.

Murray has played with the Nuggets since they selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft out of Kentucky.

Murray practiced with the Nuggets' G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, last week before returning to Denver, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports.

He also spoke with Adam Caparell of Complex in an interview published March 3 to provide an update on his health:

I'm too far to tell. I'm obviously progressing every week. But I have my bad weeks where I can't do the simple stuff and then I'll have weeks where I feel like I can jump out of the gym. It's just getting the stress pain down. Adding tolerance right now and trying to ramp it up. I don't know. I'm in a good spot, I just don't know the exact time right now.

Without Murray, the Nuggets have leaned on Monte Morris and Facundo Campazzo at point guard.

Likely back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic remains the team's best distributor, and his efforts have led to Denver sitting sixth in the Western Conference standings at 42-29 despite Murray's absence.

Still, the Nuggets are obviously a better team with Murray, whose breakout performance in the 2020 playoffs led to a Western Conference Finals appearance. He averaged 26.5 points and 6.6 assists in those playoffs.

For now, the Nuggets will be without Murray for the time being. Their regular season ends on April 10, with the postseason starting shortly thereafter.

Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Houston Rockets with a non-COVID-related illness, the team announced. 

Jokic also missed time earlier this season with a wrist injury suffered in a Nov. 18 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. In addition, he suffered a right knee contusion in a loss to the Utah Jazz on Oct. 26 and returned to the court on Oct. 29 without missing too much time. 

The 26-year-old is averaging 25.4 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game while shooting 56.7 percent from the field, following up a 2020-21 campaign in which he was named MVP. 

He averaged 26.4 points on 56.6 percent shooting, 10.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game last season. 

With Jokic sidelined, Jeff Green and DeMarcus Cousins should see more playing time on Friday. 

The Nuggets are 36-26 on the season, sixth place in the Western Conference. Jokic's illness isn't cause for concern, and he should return to the lineup soon. 

The Denver Nuggets have gotten just nine combined games between Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. this season, but there is reportedly a "strong sense" the two could be back by the playoffs, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. 

Porter is reportedly on track to return from his back injury by mid-March, per Amick. The forward underwent surgery in December and hasn't played since Nov. 6.

Murray has yet to play in 2021-22 after tearing his ACL last April.

President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly said earlier this month on Altitude Sports Radio that both Murray and Porter could be physically cleared "hopefully in the not too distant future."

If each player returns to full strength, it could help shift the dynamic of the NBA playoffs.

Denver entered Monday sixth in the Western Conference at 36-25, relying mostly on reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. The center is currently averaging 25.5 points, 13.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game.

Murray averaged 21.2 points and 4.8 assists per game last season before his injury. And in the 2020 playoffs, he averaged a team-high 26.5 points per game while leading the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals.

Without him in 2021, Denver was swept out of the second round of the playoffs.

Porter, meanwhile, was off to a slow start in 2021-22 before his injury but had a breakout year in 2020-21. The forward averaged 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, shooting 44.5 percent from three-point range.

If he returns near that level, the Nuggets could be a scary team to face this postseason.     

MIchael Porter Jr. is one step closer to returning to Denver Nuggets this season.

His agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday that Porter is expected to be cleared for on-court contact in the next week and is aiming for a return to game action in March.

The 23-year-old appeared in just nine games for the Nuggets this season, averaging 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, before opting to have lumbar spine surgery that has kept him out of action since early November.

That has left the Nuggets without two of their three best players, as Jamal Murray has yet to play this season as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered last season. It is unclear if Murray will play again this season, though Woj reported "there is still hope" that the star point guard can return to the court before the playoffs.

The Nuggets have more than tread water without the two players, however, because of the MVP-esque season of Nikola Jokic (25.8 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 8.0 APG) and a solid supporting cast led by Aaron Gordon, Will Barton, Monte Morris and Jeff Green.

The Nuggets are currently 35-25, sixth in the Western Conference and just outside of the NBA play-in spots.

Porter had a breakout year in the 2020-21 season, averaging 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the field, 44.5 percent from three and 79.1 percent from the charity stripe.

He seemed primed for an excellent 2021-22 campaign and signed a five-year, $172.5 million contract extension in the offseason, only for the back injuries that have hampered him throughout his young career to derail his year.

But getting both him and Murray back would make the Nuggets a major threat in the West, as the entirety of the conference chases the Phoenix Suns (49-12) in the standings.

Former All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins has impressed in his brief time with the Denver Nuggets.

In a reward for his efforts, The Athletic's Shams Charania reports that the Nuggets are planning to sign Cousins for the rest of the season after his last 10-day contract expired over the weekend.

Cousins has played eight games for Denver and averaged 6.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 13.1 minutes. Joining the Nuggets reunited him with head coach Mike Malone, who he played under while he was with the Sacramento Kings. He also spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks this season, chipping in 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 17 games.

Denver is Cousins' seventh franchise. He's also played for the New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers and has career averages of 19.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks.

An 11th-year big man out of Kentucky, Cousins was once regarded as one of the best centers in the league. The veteran earned four trips to the All-Star Game and put together a run of five straight seasons with averages of over 20 points and 10 rebounds from 2013-14 to 2017-18.

But Cousins' once-promising career was derailed by multiple devastating injuries. He suffered a torn Achilles in January 2018 and then he tore his left ACL, which forced him to miss the entire 2019-20 season.

The Nuggets are in sixth place in the Western Conference with a record of 33-25. Denver will play its first game after the All-Star break on Thursday against the Kings.

The Denver Nuggets and center DeMarcus Cousins reportedly agreed to a new 10-day contract Thursday.

Mike Singer of the Denver Post reported Cousins is expected to be in the lineup Friday against the Boston Celtics. He played five games for the Nuggets on a previous 10-day deal, averaging 6.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 25.7 percent from the field.

The four-time All-Star previously spent 17 games with the Milwaukee Bucks this season before being waived.

While Boogie is far from the player he was during his Sacramento heyday, Nuggets coach Michael Malone praised him for fitting in. 

"Simply stated, DeMarcus has been great for us. I fully expect DeMarcus Cousins to be back with us at some point," Malone told reporters Tuesday. "He's got to stop getting techs. That's an ongoing conversation. But just the basketball aspect of it, he’s been tremendous."

The Nuggets went 5-0 in games with Cousins in the rotation. Even if there's some correlation-causation fallacy going on there, Cousins is a solid fit behind Nikola Jokic in the second unit and can still show flashes of 2016 Boogie when his body is feeling right.

The Denver Nuggets are "actively in search of a perimeter defender" before Thursday's NBA trade deadline and have "signaled a willingness to discuss their 2027 first-round pick" in that pursuit, according to Mike Singer of the Denver Post.

That willingness to deal a future first reportedly comes down to the team's lack of viable alternative trade chips as it seeks a three-and-D player "who wouldn't be just a rental."

The Nuggets have been operating at less than full strength all season. Star point guard Jamal Murray is recovering from a torn ACL, and it's unclear if he'll be able to return late in the season or postseason. Michael Porter Jr. is likely out for the season with a back injury. 

That's left the Nuggets without two of their three top scorers, and best players, from a year ago. 

Despite those costly absences, the Nuggets are still 30-24 and in sixth in the Western Conference, in large part due to the efforts of defending MVP Nikola Jokic (25.8 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 7.9 APG), who is one of the front-runners to win the award again. 

A supporting cast of Aaron Gordon, Will Barton, Monte Morris, Jeff Green and Bones Hyland, among others, have helped keep the Nuggets afloat. But adding a player who not only would help the Nuggets get back to the postseason this year but also help them in the future when they have their full complement of players would be ideal. 

Jerami Grant could make sense for the Nuggets, though they likely don't have the assets to pull off such a deal. Robert Covington would have been a logical fit before the Portland Trail Blazers dealt him to the Los Angeles Clippers. 

With the Washington Wizards cratering and Bradley Beal done for the season, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope might be attainable. Kenrich Williams would be a nice fit and likely could be had for that 2027 first-rounder. 

So the Nuggets will have some options in their pursuit of improving on the wing. The question is whether they'll pull the trigger.

Denver Nuggets veteran Nikola Jokic made history in Sunday's 124-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets. 

Jokic joined Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain as the only players with multiple 25-point triple-doubles on 80 percent shooting in NBA history, according to ESPN. He finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists on 12-of-15 shooting from the floor. 

In addition, Jokic, who won the 2020-21 MVP award, now has an NBA-best 14 triple-doubles this season and 71 for his career. He is seven triple-doubles away from tying Chamberlain for sixth all-time.

Jokic is having a tremendous year, even with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. sidelined. He entered Sunday's game averaging 25.9 points, 13.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists while shooting 57.4 percent from the floor through 46 games. 

If the 26-year-old continues at this pace, he will join Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as just the third center in NBA history to average at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a season.

While Jokic has been in the MVP conversation this season, many overlook him for players like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, he recently told reporters he doesn't care if he receives the attention or not.

While Jokic doesn't seem to mind, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone recently said he's one of the more disrespected reigning MVPs that he can remember. 

If you open up the dictionary and look up the word consistency, there's going to be a picture of Nikola there. That's going back to the (2020 Disney World) bubble, that's going back to the 72-game season last year and this year. We knew Jamal was going to be out for an extended period, but when you add a Michael Porter (injury) and a P.J. Dozier (injury) to that list, it becomes even more incredible what he's doing.

Because of Jokic, the Nuggets are currently sixth in the Western Conference with a 29-24 record. Although they are 13.5 games behind the first-place Phoenix Suns, they're in solid position to compete with the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies for a higher seed.