Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic made headlines the entirety of All-Star Weekend, as two of the league’s low-key superstars were repeatedly caught on camera being overly friendly. Jokic and Doncic are very good friends off the court, which prompted many to wonder if the two players could eventually team up in the NBA.
If a team-up ends up happening, it seems Luka will be the one who’ll have to switch teams. While speaking to the media, Jokic made it clear that he’s happy with the Denver Nuggets and that a partnership with Luka is only feasible if he leaves the Dallas Mavericks.
“I don’t know. It’s possible. I don’t want to leave Denver, I like it there, it’s a great organization. But if Luka gets pissed off in Dallas, he can come.”
"I don’t want to leave Denver… If Luka gets pissed off in Dallas, he can come."
– Nikola Jokic
(Via @DNVR_Nuggets/ @MiroslavCuk )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 20, 2024
Doncic and Jokic would be one of the scariest duos in the NBA, but might not be an optimal pairing. Both are one-man offensive engines, so they’ll have to find a way to compromise on their usage to make the other shine. Doncic is arguably the best perimeter player in the NBA, able to score or playmaker from virtually any defensive action teams throw at him coming up the floor.
He’s averaging 34.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 9.5 assists this season.
Similarly, Jokic is one of the most unstoppable post players in the NBA. While his shooting touch ranges across the floor, Jokic is dominant in the paint. His ultra-efficient finishing rate may be boosted with Doncic also playmaking for him. Ultimately, two stars of this caliber would likely find a way to make it work, so the teams around the league have to hope the pair don’t end up teaming up.
Jokic is averaging 26.1 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 8.9 assists this season.
Could Luka Doncic Make His Way To The Nuggets?
One of the biggest talking points of the last two seasons has been the possibility of Luka Doncic leaving the Mavericks after the franchise’s failed attempts to put a contending roster around him. They’re looking dangerous after trade deadline acquisitions like P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, but not many would pick the Mavericks over the reigning champions Nuggets even after those moves.
Doncic has two years left on his contract, being able to test free agency in 2026. If the Nuggets are still contenders, it’s unlikely they’ll have the cap room to issue a max contract to Doncic in free agency. In addition, Doncic stands to make over $100 million more if he re-signs with the team that has his Bird rights, so a free-agency move seems challenging.
A forced trade may be their only way to make it happen, but that likely will decimate the Nuggets’ depth and future draft capital. It isn’t as easy for free agents to make superteams, with the last instance of it coming in 2019 with the Brooklyn Nets. Front offices have to construct super teams through trades and it’ll be incredibly challenging for the Nuggets to lure someone like Doncic via trade.
For now, we’ll have to settle these two friends being teammates at All-Star Weekend as teaming up on an NBA team presents a lot of challenges for two players of this caliber.
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