The Denver Nuggets have attained a current 48-32 record to this juncture as the 2024-25 regular season winds down, but the team’s final positional standing in the Western Conference is still yet to be determined.

If this iteration of the team led by Nikola Jokić fails to notch a guaranteed 2025 NBA Playoff berth and subsequently falls to Play-In Tournament range, the franchise’s front office will have to consider a myriad of possibilities regarding their on-court personnel moving forward.

Specifically, Jokić’s second-in-command star and incredible playoff-riser Jamal Murray could plausibly be thrown into trade dialogue in the coming months, especially after the recent unexpected firing of the team’s long-time head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.

As unpredictability begins to consume the organization that raised the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2023, recent reports indicate that their top brass may consider dealing Murray to the Houston Rockets in an effort to chart a new course for the future.

“It is possible that the Rockets will make a deep postseason run this year, but considering their lack of playoff experience, it is perhaps more likely that they will suffer a postseason heartbreak,” ClutchPoints’ Bailey Bassett wrote Friday afternoon.

“If that happens, they may hit the trade market to find the missing piece that can get them over the hump. Murray fits the description in that regard because of his playoff experience.”

“Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and Cam Whitmore are all recent first-round picks, and their youth should allow the Rockets to contend for a long time. Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams, and Jeff Green are getting older, though, so adding someone like Murray, who better fits the team’s timeline, makes a ton of sense.”

At 28 years old, Murray has garnered a reputation as one of the best postseason performers in recent memory, as evidenced by career contributions of 24.2 points, 6.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds on a 52.6% effective field goal percentage spanning 11 playoff series’.

For a Houston team lacking reliable go-to scoring options outside of Green, Murray’s hypothetical introduction to the Rockets’ lineup would provide the team with a fantastic offensive threat that has become known for leveling up when the lights shine bright.

On the other hand, Denver’s decision to deal Murray in this scenario could mark a seismic shift towards youth while the group attempts to remain competitive. In return, Sheppard, Smith Jr. or even Eason could see themselves suiting up for the Nuggets in 2025-26, with a new goal of assisting Jokić on his quest to capture another NBA title.