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Did you know that the Denver Nuggets almost threw their hat in the ring in the Kyrie Irving sweepstakes back in 2017? The Nuggets, at that point, had missed the playoffs four years in a row. They were already building an impressive young core involving Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Gary Harris, with the likes of Will Barton and Emmanuel Mudiay looking like keepers for years to come, but acquiring Irving could have jolted them right back into the playoff mix.
However, instead of trading for Irving, who requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers after wanting to have a bigger role, the Nuggets remained patient. After all, acquiring Irving meant that the Nuggets would have had to give up on Murray, the seventh overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft.
Jamal Murray did not have the most inspiring rookie season ever. But he was only 19 years old. Thus, as Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic pointed out, the Nuggets decided to remain patient and watch the young combo guard develop alongside Nikola Jokic. And now nearly six years later, that decision has paid off immensely after the Nuggets franchise won its first-ever championship on the backs of elite performances from the Nuggets star duo.
Resisting the urge to trade Murray at that time certainly made sense for where the Nuggets were. They were coming off a 40-42 season; acquiring Irving, while upping their talent base, would have gutted the team's assets as well. So it may have given them a short-term boost, but in the long run, it would have cost the franchise, especially with Irving only under contract for two more guaranteed years at the time.
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To Jamal Murray's credit, he emerged the following season as a starting-caliber point guard who had undeniable chemistry with Nikola Jokic. From averaging 9.9 points per game as a rookie, he averaged 16.7 on increased efficiency.
Since then, the Nuggets have only proceeded to get better. When healthy, they one-upped their results from the year before; in 2018, they missed the playoffs by one game. In 2019, they made the second round of the NBA playoffs. And in 2020, they went on to give the Los Angeles Lakers a hell of a battle in the Western Conference Finals.
Now in 2023, the Nuggets have won an NBA championship. And it may not have been possible if the Nuggets pulled the trigger on the Jamal Murray-Kyrie Irving trade in 2017.
