The Denver Nuggets might have never imagined franchise superstar Nikola Jokic playing in a different uniform, but over the past few months, buzz about the Serbian center potentially leaving town or asking for a trade has only increased, as he has yet to sign a new contract extension with the team.
The Nuggets haven’t gotten off to a great start to the season, and Jokic has made headlines after calling out fan support. The idea of him leaving isn’t necessarily a new one, but according to a new report, Jokic asking for a trade or departing when his current contract comes to an end is a more realistic possibility than ever before.
After winning three MVP awards and finishing top-two in voting over the past six years, Jokic’s performance has taken a slight step back this season. He remains one of the best players in the league, but amid the new trade rumors, he doesn’t look like the same player from earlier in the decade.
Nuggets Get Scary Nikola Jokic Trade News
According to a recent article by Howard Beck published on The Ringer, the idea of a Jokic trade can’t be ruled out.
“They’ve obviously struggled to build around him since the championship because of the financial constraints,” an unnamed executive told Beck. “Do they finally just say: All right, he’s 31 now; do we just pull the trigger because he’s got a huge extension coming up this summer, and then it’s going to be even harder to build around the guy?”
Jokic has yet to sign an extension with the Nuggets. He previously pushed it off two summers ago, and did the same this past offseason. He has a player option for next season, but if he turns that down, the best player in Denver basketball history could leave in free agency.
“Nikola Jokic sounds a little testy. Bam Adebayosounds a little aggravated. And Devin Booker? He just seems like a guy whose talent is being wasted. Is it comically premature
The Nuggets have gotten off to a poor start to the season, currently 3-3, and don’t look like the title contender they’ve been in the past, which doesn’t bode well for Jokic either, asking for a trade or leaving to compete for another championship somewhere else.
“In this case, if things got truly dark in Denver, Jokic could simply decline his $62 million option next summer and explore free agency,” Beck said. “We’re not there yet. But Jokic lashing out at Nuggets fans—twice!—for booing in the season’s opening week certainly sounds like a player losing patience.”
If Jokic signals he isn’t going to take the player option or sign a new deal next summer, the Nuggets might be forced to trade him this year to risk not losing him for anything in return.
Denver Could See Pressure For 3x MVP Ahead Of Free Agency
As Beck wrote, superstar NBA trades come out of nowhere, and that’s not to say there hasn’t been previous talk and rumors about Jokic playing somewhere else; it would still come as a surprise.
“Twenty-nine executives are not doing their job if they’re not constantly thinking about how to get Jokić on their team,” the executive added.
None of this is to say that Denver is planning on Jokic asking out, but it has to be something the front office is discussing.
Previously, Jokic has been linked to his friend Luka Doncic, and while the Slovenian could join the Serbian on the Nuggets, perhaps a move to the Los Angeles Lakers is more realistic.
“The Los Angeles Lakers would love to add Nikola Jokic to their roster, and the odds of landing him improved after the Denver Nuggets traded Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers for virtually nothing,” Tyler Watts wrote on this hypothetical. “Things are headed south in Denver, and Luka Doncic gives the Lakers a serious chance to steal the Joker if he ever decides to change teams.”
“The three-time MVP may never leave Denver, but Luka would make the Lakers one of his top destinations if he decides to switch teams,” he added. “There has long been chatter about Jokic and Doncic playing together. There is an opportunity to make it happen next summer if the Joker changes his mind.”
Any rumors of Jokic leaving Denver are still in the early stages, but with a new contract still unsigned, the team struggling, and his recent public critiques of the fanbase, it doesn’t feel impossible.
The Nuggets either losing Jokic in free agency or through a trade demand would be one of the biggest shocks in recent NBA memory, but as Beck stated, nothing can be ruled out.
“As we’ve noted before, loyalty is a bygone concept in today’s NBA, on both sides of the ledger,” Beck wrote. “Nothing is forever. Nothing can be assumed. No one is immune. Anyone can be traded, at any time, for any reason. And with superstars, the clock is always, always ticking.”
Denver Nuggets Receive Scary Nikola Jokic Trade News