Jamal Murray’s Olympic Debut Leads to Redditors Questioning Upcoming $209M Extension

Jamal Murray‘s highly anticipated Olympic debut didn’t go as the Canadian might have hoped. Although his team registered an 86-79 win against Greece, the guard’s performance off the bench for his team was forgettable. Following his underwhelming outing, fans on Reddit discussed whether he’s worth the $209 million extension he’s eligible to sign with the Nuggets.

Murray played 18 minutes and finished with eight points, three assists, and a steal. He shot 2-of-6 from the field and went 0-of-3 from beyond the arc. He also had three turnovers. Following the game, a Redditor posted on the NBA subreddit about his poor outing and the possible contract extension with the Nuggets. The post read,

“Jamal Murray in his Olympic debut off the bench played quite bad. He has been offered a max contract by Denver but is not signing because Denver wants to add conditions to the deal.”

Jamal Murray in his Olympic debut: 2-6, 8 points, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls -23
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Several fans responded to the post, expressing similar concerns about the 27-year-old. One fan said it’s surprising that the Nuggets allowed him to play in the Olympics because he has been slow and lethargic, suggesting he’s not fully fit.

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One fan speculated that Murray might have some injuries he’s dealing with, which led to a poor outing against Greece. However, if that is the case, the Nuggets should shoulder some of the blame as they shouldn’t have allowed their player to go to Paris.

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Another fan had a slightly different take on his bad form. They claimed that Murray thrives in situations where he is put alongside his Nuggets teammate, Nikola Jokic. However, without his superstar teammate’s incredible playmaking ability, the guard isn’t the same player.

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Whatever the issue is, it’s clear that the Nuggets’ contract offer wasn’t the maximum extension that Murray expected. He didn’t want to agree to it and wanted to use the Olympics to gain an upper hand in negotiations. However, his plan hasn’t worked so far. If he doesn’t bounce back in the remaining games, the $209 million extension could slip out of his hands.

Murray’s underwhelming performance in the final stretch of last season prompted questions about whether he was the ideal running mate for Nikola Jokic in the long run. Those voices are only getting louder with each passing game.