Nikola Jokic won one NBA title with Jamal Murray as his point guard, but how much scarier — and how many more rings could there be — if Jokic played next to Luka Doncic?
Denver tried to trade up to get Doncic on draft night back in 2018, a former Nuggets beat writer turned team employee 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 ended up being 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 wasn’t particularly high on Luka Doncic, and they had designs on pairing Nikola Jokic with Luka Doncic. On draft night in 2018, they tried. A call was made. There was an offer and the Nuggets were trying to get the No. 2 pick for Gary Harris and two first-round picks is what 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 later that night to Dallas for Trae Young (the No. 5 pick in the draft), plus a future first-round pick (which became Cam Redish).
Doncic thrived in Dallas, becoming one of the top five players in the league and leading the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season. Jokic earned an NBA title and three MVPs in Denver leading a solid core of Murray, Aaron Gordon and the player Denver ended up taking in the 2018 NBA Draft, Michael Porter Jr.
However, it is a sliding doors moment — what if Doncic and Nikola Jokic were paired? Could this be the current dynasty in the NBA?
