{"id":107603,"date":"2024-11-18T11:19:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T16:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=107603"},"modified":"2024-11-18T11:19:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T16:19:07","slug":"nikola-jokic-nuggets-tried-trade-mavs-luka-doncic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/18\/nikola-jokic-nuggets-tried-trade-mavs-luka-doncic\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Rumors: Nikola Jokic\u2019s Nuggets Tried Trade For Luka Doncic"},"content":{"rendered":"

There was a time when Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic<\/a> looked like he was going to be drafted by the Atlanta Hawks. They changed their minds at the last moment<\/a> though, opting for former Oklahoma standout Trae Young<\/a> instead. Doncic could have also been drafted by the Sacramento Kings, who picked before them<\/a>. However, former Kings general manager Vlade Divac didn\u2019t see him fitting beside De\u2019Aaron Fox<\/a>, who he preferred.<\/p>\n

What wasn\u2019t known is that the Denver Nuggets, who already had Nikola Jokic<\/a>, were also interested in<\/a> drafting Doncic.<\/p>\n

Nikola Jokic\u2019s Nuggets Tried Trade For Mavs\u2019 Luka Doncic<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe Nuggets knew that Vlade Divac was not particularly high on Luka Doncic,\u201d Nuggets director of intelligence and strategy Mike Singer tells The Hoop Collective Podcast<\/em> (h\/t RealGM).<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

This offer was presumably too low for the Hawks to accept and understandably so. Not only were they trying to land a top-three pick, Doncic was a highly touted prospect. However, if Doncic had been drafted, the Nuggets might have won their first championship in franchise history a little earlier.<\/p>\n

Could They Still Team Up?<\/h3>\n

Jokic and Doncic\u2019s developing friendship has been the subject of scrutiny for months if not years.<\/p>\n

Nobody seems to know exactly when the two first connected or how their relationship evolved. Jokic has admitted his appreciation<\/a> that he and Doncic, who is from Slovenia, can speak the same language. The Republic of Slovenia\u2019s official language is Slovene, but there\u2019s a minority Serb population in the country. As a result, there are quite a few Serbo-Croatian speakers.<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s also a mutual respect between Jokic and Doncic that\u2019s based on their savant-like skill. This is what makes him an attractive trade target even now. It\u2019s one thing for Doncic to be as talented as he is, but another for him to be an elite player who Jokic would probably have excellent chemistry with.<\/p>\n

In fact, Jokic was open to teaming up with Doncic as recently as February. There\u2019s just one caveat: he would have to come to Denver.<\/p>\n

\n

“I don\u2019t want to leave Denver… If Luka gets pissed off in Dallas, he can come.”<\/p>\n

Nikola Jokic says he’d be open to teaming up with Luka Doncic but only on the Nuggets.<\/p>\n

(Translated by @MiroslavCuk<\/a> ) pic.twitter.com\/t8q4sd4f2w<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) February 20, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n