The idea of Nikola Jokic leaving the Denver Nuggets seems preposterous at the moment. That said, four years ago the idea of Giannis Antetokounmpo leaving Milwaukee seemed preposterous, and just two years ago the idea of Jaylen Brown leaving Boston seemed just as absurd. Things move quickly in the NBA landscape these days, but Jokic is taking things quite slow when it comes to signing a contract extension with the Nuggets.
Jokic intends on waiting until next summer to sign his extension, and the situation has begun to cause angst in the Mile High City.
“Oh man. People [in Denver] would freak out. Are you talking a whole year without him signing an extension? Oh my God,” said Altitude 92.5 FM radio host Darren McKee, while discussing Jokic’s contract extension with Nuggets reporter Katy Winge. “We would be losing our minds.”
The Nuggets employ a collaborative front office structure, as they do not have a traditional general manager. Ben Tenzer operates as the executive vice president of basketball operations, and Jonathan Wallace is the executive VP of player personnel.
This unorthodox front office structure could eventually prove to be a problem when it comes to Jokic remaining with the Nuggets throughout his entire career. If Denver was to execute a Jokic trade, there would be no single person in the organization that would be held accountable if the trade was eventually proven to be disastrous. In other words, with no one having the final say on transactions, it would be quite easy to finger point after the fact. With a lack of accountability present, this front office might be more likely than other front offices to explore a deal for a mercurial star.
Nikola Jokic to LA Lakers trade rumors
If Jokic is ever put on the trade block, Rob Pelinka will be the first person to call the 303 area code.
Jokic and Luka Doncic are tight and have expressed a desire to play with one another in the past.
Just this week, Doncic was asked in a viral video by Klemen Kopina who his dream partner would be for a 2-on-2 basketball game. He chose Jokic over the likes of Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Kevin Durant, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Giannis, and LeBron James.
But the Lakers don’t have much to offer the Nuggets. They have zero tradable first round picks available over the next seven years following their acquisition of center Walker Kessler.
Nikola Jokic to Boston Celtics trade rumors
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and new Celtics owner Bill Chisholm are feeling the pressure in Boston right now after the wildly unpopular trade of Brown to the rival Philadelphia 76ers.
The Celtics did acquire two future first round draft picks in the trade with the 76ers, which could prove to be quite valuable when exploring future trades. Boston also owns all of its own future first rounders.
This draft capital should allow Stevens to go “big game hunting” in the coming years, and Chisholm said firmly this week that he is more than willing to open up his wallet in order to build a championship club.
“The mandate [I have given Stevens] is to win,” Chisholm said at a press conference regarding the Brown trade. “We’ll spend whatever it takes to do that. The mandate is to win.”
Nikola Jokic to Golden State Warriors trade rumors
Steph Curry is 38-years-old and the Warriors are going all in to get him one more ring.
If the Warriors miss out on LeBron James this summer, and they have another relatively poor showing this coming season (Golden State lost in the Play-In Tournament to Phoenix this past spring), then it is expected that Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr will go for broke next summer.
Dunleavy Jr has been hesitant to trade any of Golden State’s own first round picks in deals, but obviously for a player of Jokic’s magnitude he would give up whatever it takes. The Warriors’ picks in the early 2030s will be highly coveted around the NBA given that Curry will likely be retired by then, and Golden State will almost assuredly be in rebuild mode.
The likelihood of a Jokic trade
All told, the Nuggets trading Jokic is highly unlikely. In fact, other than Curry, if there is one player in the NBA that is most likely to spend his entire career in one spot it is probably Jokic.
“Jokic has said time and time again that he wants to be [in Denver],” Winge said on Altitude 92.5 FM. “For all that we know and all that we’ve seen, the relationship between Nikola Jokic and the front office is as solid as it gets. [The front office] wants him here for as long as humanly possible. They’re going to do whatever it takes to make him happiest.”
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