Lakers’ best Nikola Jokic trade offer to Nuggets this offseason
Now that the Nuggets fired Michael Malone, will Nikola Jokic be on the trading block?
There are only a handful of players in the NBA who are truly untradable. Luka Doncic was one of those players, but then the Dallas Mavericks shockingly sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade that nobody saw coming and nobody agreed with.
The move turned the basketball world on its head, and now anything seems possible when it comes to the trade market.
The move also made the Lakers feel invincible, and their fans think that they can add any star via trade now. Nikola Jokic should be untradable, but in this world and in the eyes of Lakers fans, anything seems possible.
The Denver Nuggets just fired Michael Malone and Calvin Booth just days before the start of the postseason. Those were moves nearly as surprising as the Doncic deal.
Doncic just so happens to be Jokic’s best buddy, so is there a trade that the Lakers can make for Jokic this upcoming offseason now that the Nuggets are seemingly in turmoil?
Lakers’ best trade proposal for Nikola Jokic
Lakers receive: Nikola Jokic
Nuggets receive: Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, Gabe Vincent, 2026/2028/2030 first-round pick swaps, 2031 first-round pick
In all likelihood, there aren’t any trades for Jokic that make sense for the Nuggets. That is especially true when it comes to looking at what the Lakers can offer in comparison to the rest of the league. LeBron James isn’t going anywhere because of who he is, and while a Doncic for Jokic swap is likely the only thing Denver would consider, it is extremely unlikely.
The Lakers are also deprived of draft capital. A 2031 first-rounder is the only unprotected first-round pick that they can offer. A Jokic trade haul would likely need tons of draft capital for the Nuggets to consider it.
Los Angeles can offer three additional pick swap options, but a team with all of Jokic, Doncic, and James wouldn’t lose a lot of games. Meanwhile, the Nuggets would fall to the bottom of the standings without their three-time MVP, so these pick swaps would likely never convert.
The point is that a Jokic-to-Los Angeles trade is extremely unlikely. If the Lakers have some kind of voodoo magic and were able to pull this off, though, they would certainly have to include Austin Reaves.
Reaves has been a good player for a few years now, but he has truly taken a few steps forward in terms of his development this year. He now has All-Star potential, evidenced by his 20.2 point-per-game average this season.
Reaves would be a must-include part of this trade. He comes at a value from a contract perspective, and he could be a legitimate building block for the Nuggets going forward. Without needing to sacrifice touches to James and Doncic, there is no telling how high Reaves’ ceiling could be.
Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, and Gabe Vincent are only included in this trade for salary matching purposes, but all of them could play a role in Denver.
What is going on with the Nuggets?
As mentioned above, a Jokic trade is unlikely. The Malone and Booth firings were more about maximizing Jokic’s future going forward than they were about re-evaluating Jokic as their franchise player.
Jokic will likely finish within the top two in MVP voting for the fifth straight year this season. He is the undisputed best player in the NBA, and it would take a truly record-breaking trade offer for the Nuggets to even consider moving him.
The Lakers don’t have that kind of package to offer. Even so, what is going on in Denver is peculiar.
There are only three games left on the Nuggets schedule, which makes their firing of Malone tied for the latest coach firing in NBA history, per Patrick Andres of si.com. The team was the two-seed in the Western Conference only three weeks ago.
Then, Jamal Murray started dealing with more injury issues, the team’s on-court play fell despite legendary games from Jokic, and Malone seemingly lost the locker room. Denver is 3-7 over their last 10 games, and effort and chemistry levels have been at an all-time low during that stretch.
That forced the Nuggets’ ownership into making an urgent and desperate move.
Unless Malone’s firing motivates the Nuggets heading into the postseason, this is likely a lost season for Denver. However, with the necessary roster tweaks, Jokic can still lead the Nuggets to championship glory, as he did in 2023.
