They are probably two names that are easily the most untradeable right now but before their peak, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks almost got brought together through a crazy trade proposal.
The Mavs moved pieces to land Doncic at third overall in the 2018 NBA draft but if only Vlade Divac, then the vice president of Sacramento Kings which selected Marvin Bagley II for the no. 2 pick, picked up the phone.
Nuggets writer Mike Singer revealed that the team almost landed the Serbian sensation.
The Denver Nuggets attempted to trade up in the 2018 draft to select Luka Dončić, offering a trade package centered around Gary Harris and first-round picks, per @msinger
“The Nuggets knew that Vlade Divac was not particularly high on Luka Doncic. And they had designs on… pic.twitter.com/Wwr1bG7Roa
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 18, 2024
“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,” he said via the Hoop Collective.
Year 2018 was the time the Nuggets finally figured out that they have a future MVP in the line-up. They had to trade away Jusuf Nurkic in 2017 to increase the future three-time MVP’s touches. Their next best player at that time was Paul Millsap.
Six years later, Jokic, possibly in Top 10 all time now, and Doncic figured in many Western Conference battles.
The Joker has more individual accolades but Doncic is just as good, sending the Mavs to its first NBA finals in 2024 since 2011.
Playing hypotheticals with Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic
Pairing Doncic with Jokic will create an insane super duo in the NBA if they learned to share the basketball. They would have been the new gen version of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in 2000s, only this time, they are less athletic but more encompassing.
Their style of play is pretty much the same. They love to dominate possession. They are both triple double machines.
They already have chemistry, being friends in real life, even if they are from opposing teams.
Of course, there will be problems on the defense. Shaq and Kobe were effective because they can play on both ends.
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