The Denver Nuggets nearly pulled off one of the most jaw-dropping trades in NBA history during the 2018 Draft, aiming to pair Luka Doncic with Nikola Jokic. According to Mike Singer on ‘The Hoop Collective Podcast’, the Nuggets knew that Sacramento Kings’ General Manager Vlade Divac wasn’t particularly high on Doncic, and they sought to exploit the situation.
“The Nuggets knew that Vlade Divac was not particularly high on Luka Doncic. And they had designs on pairing Nikola Jokic with Luka Doncic. On draft night in 2018, they tried. There was a call placed. There was a proposal and the Nuggets attempted to get the No. 2 pick for Gary Harris and two first-round picks was what I was told”
“You can roll your eyes at that price tag, but look in retrospect. The Kings ended up taking Marvin Bagley with the No. 2 pick. I’m not saying this trade was imminent. All I’m saying is this trade was discussed and considered because the Nuggets knew Vlade Divac was not particularly high on Luka Doncic and they tried to exploit it.
“The wrinkle in this is if the Nuggets had ever been willing to part with Jamal Murray, we have a hell of a what-if in the annals of NBA history, but that did not happen.”
“I was not in the room. I was not in the front office at the time. All I know is it was considered, explored, vetted, and I have somebody saying anonymously ‘For 30 seconds, we thought we had Luka.’ Which is a gargantuan statement.”
While some might scoff at the proposed package of Harris and two first-rounders, hindsight suggests it could have been a steal. The Kings ultimately used the second pick to select Marvin Bagley III, a choice that has been widely criticized as one of the biggest draft blunders in recent memory. Meanwhile, Doncic has blossomed into a perennial MVP contender, already achieving historic milestones with the Dallas Mavericks.
Had the Nuggets succeeded, the pairing of Doncic and Jokic could have redefined the franchise’s trajectory. While Jokic has since won three MVPs and delivered Denver’s first NBA championship in 2023, a Jokic-Doncic duo might have accelerated their rise to prominence. Both players excel at orchestrating offenses with unmatched basketball IQs, making them a potentially unstoppable pairing on the court.
Of course, there are counterarguments. Luka might not have developed as quickly in Denver, where Jokic was already the team’s focal point. Sharing the spotlight could have delayed Luka’s emergence as a superstar. Conversely, Jokic’s individual accolades, including his MVPs, might have been diminished in a shared system.
Nevertheless, the hypothetical pairing would have made the Nuggets perennial contenders, likely netting them multiple championships. Their offensive creativity and synergy could have rivaled or even surpassed the greatest duos in NBA history.
The story, drawn from Singer’s upcoming book on ‘Jokic, Why So Serious?’, provides a fascinating glimpse into what could have been. As the Kings grapple with the legacy of their ill-fated pick, and Luka continues to shine in Dallas, Nuggets fans can only wonder how close their franchise came to creating one of the most dynamic tandems in basketball history. For 30 seconds in 2018, the dream of Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic playing side by side felt tantalizingly real.
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