Nikola Jokic Trade Possible Under Drastic Circumstances, Says Denver Nuggets Ownership

After the Luka Doncic trade, even Denver Nuggets legend Nikola Jokic might not be untouchable in a trade market.

Nikola Jokic Trade Possible Under Drastic Circumstances, Says Denver Nuggets Ownership

Nikola Jokic (Image via FirstSportz)

The NBA has chosen to enforce parity rather than allow players to move around as freely as in the 2010s. The implementation of stricter luxury tax penalties for overspending teams has had many second-order effects. The Denver Nuggets are owned by Stan Kroenke and a wealthy group of billionaires with deep pockets. Yet, even Nikola Jokic might not be a surefire Nuggets lifer, if we are to believe Kroenke’s son Josh.

Speaking to the media after the NBA Finals, Josh Kroenke laid out the unpleasant ground reality that the second apron of the luxury tax rules has now created for teams that drafted well and developed homegrown talent:

I think that for us as an organization, going into the second apron is not necessarily something that we’re scared of. I think that there are rules around it that we needed to be very careful of with our injury history. The wrong person gets injured, and very quickly you have this scenario where – that I’d never want to have to contemplate – and trade #15 (Nikola Jokic). And so we’re very conscious of that, pushing forward and providing the resources that we can when the moment arrives. But that second apron, is it a hard cap? I’m not 100% sure, but it’s something that teams are obviously very aware of.

Josh Kroenke will undoubtedly be acutely aware of the gravity of the words he has uttered. The Dallas Mavericks’ ownership and GM Nico Harrison faced voluminous amounts of outrage after trading away franchise superstar Luka Doncic. The move is viewed as the worst trade in the 21st century across American sports, and is undoubtedly among the worst moves to be made in basketball history.

But trading away Nikola Jokic? That would be a betrayal on an even bigger level. The city of Denver treasures the Serbian superstar with a fervour comparable to what Peyton Manning and John Elway got. He has brought the team its only NBA championship and universally made them perennial contenders by winning MVP trophies and stamping himself as the best player in the world over and over again.

How can the Denver Nuggets retool around Nikola Jokic?

The Nuggets had the opportunity to trade away Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr to acquire Kevin Durant. However, KD made his way to the Rockets after engineering a trade on the morning of Game 7 of the NBA Finals. This now leaves the team with fewer options to find help for their legendary franchise player.

Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic (Imagn)

Nikola Jokic will need more shooters and ballhandlers on his roster to help him beat triple-teams and other defensive strategies designed to take away from his offensive duties. Porter Jr, who played much of these playoffs with a shoulder injury, and Aaron Gordon, are often found on the sidelines while out of action with injuries. He needs players who can play 82 games and be ready for 16 wins in the playoffs.

Right now, the Nuggets will aim to make moves for younger players and other sixth men in the mould of Russell Westbrook, who had a relatively successful year with Denver in 2024-25. While Russ is still on the open market, there are others like Deuce McBride, Quentin Grimes and Cam Thomas who could be good foils for the three-time MVP. It would take some innovative scouting and trading, but the team has proved that it can do so in recent years.

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