Nikola Jokic has won one NBA title with Jamal Murray as his point guard, but how much more terrifying – and how many more rings could there be – if Jokic played alongside Luka Doncic?
Denver tried to trade up to get Doncic on draft night in 2018, former Nuggets beat writer turned team contributor Mike Singer told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on the Hoop Collective Podcast. Entering the 2018 NBA Draft, the Nuggets were high on two players: Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who was ultimately drafted by the Clippers — at Jerry West’s urging, Windhorst notes — at No. 11, three spots ahead of where the Nuggets picked).
“The Nuggets knew that [then Kings GM] Vlade Divac didn’t think highly of Luka Doncic, and they had plans to pair Nikola Jokic with Luka Doncic. On draft night in 2018, they tried. A call has been made. There was an offer and the Nuggets tried to get the No. 2 pick for Gary Harris and two picks in the first round I was told.
Famously (or infamously, if you ask Kings fans), Divac decided to keep the No. 2 pick and draft Marvin Bagley III. Doncic was drafted at No. 3 by the Hawks, who traded him to Dallas later that night for Trae Young (the No. 5 pick in the draft), plus a future first-round pick (which became Cam Redish).
Doncic has thrived in Dallas, becoming one of the top five players in the league and leading the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season. Jokic has an NBA title and three MVPs in Denver and leads a solid core of Murray, Aaron Gordon and the player Denver ultimately selected in the 2018 NBA Draft, Michael Porter Jr.
Yet it is one sliding doors moment – what if Doncic and Nikola Jokic were paired together? Could that have been the current dynasty in the NBA?
