Jamal Murray nets $170 million/5-year extension - Jaylen Brown also in contract year


Danny Ainge is not usually into extending his players in the fourth year of their rookie contracts. He didn't do so with Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart or Terry Rozier. But now here comes the Nuggets' Jamal Murray, taken seventh in the 2016 NBA draft - four spots after the Celtics grabbed Jaylen Brown with the #3 pick. Murray has reportedly agreed to a max $170 million/5-year extension with Denver.



Jamal's deal may tend to set the standard for any deals for 4th-year players that follow, including Brown's. That works out to an average of $34 million per season, quite a jump from the $3.5 million Murray earned this past season.

Danny likes to take the path of not extending his 4th-year players, but rather making a qualifying offer and then wait to see what interest the player draws in restricted free agency. It worked well for Bradley and Smart, both of whom signed Celtics contracts, that in hindsight, appear very team-friendly. So don't expect an extension for Jaylen - unless he has an absolute breakout season. Ainge views 5-year extensions in today's NBA a chancy proposition, and that's not the type of chance he wants to take.

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Photo via Frank Gunn/The Canadian pP
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