Just when it felt like the Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t possibly receive another generational talent — c’mon, Nikola Jokic, too? — that event is perhaps somewhere on the horizon.
As the Lakers eye a stunning 4-0 sweep of the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are in danger of being waved goodbye in a mere five games at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Wolves were hit with a pair of brutal injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo last night, but the Nuggets were unable to take advantage as they suffered yet another blowout loss.
Anytime a superstar player who is in the best player in the world conversation comes up short in the playoffs, changes feel inevitable.
The Nuggets may soon be going through those changes — and it may start with Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP.
Nikola Jokic On the Move to Southern California?
Barring a miraculous turnaround, the Nuggets seem destined for a much earlier-than-expected vacation. Saturday’s Game 4 loss pushed their series deficit to two games, but if they want to start mounting the comeback, they’ll have a chance in Game 5 in front of their home fans.
If Denver is unable to turn around their series against the Wolves, all eyes will move toward Jokic, the 31-year-old star who have seen a third year in a row of a second round or earlier playoff exit. That is simply not the standard a superstar player will sit through.
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Fans understand Jokic’s connection to Lakers star Luka Doncic. The two European sensations have been close friends over their NBA career. And with the Lakers already proving they have merit to acquire blockbuster names via trade, the possibility of snagging Jokic in a trade cannot be ruled out.
In a recent episode of the “Locked on Nuggets” podcast, team reporter Matt Moore, who has been covering the Nuggets for over a decade, floated the idea of Jokic potentially asking to be traded to the Lakers.
“If Joker declines the extension, then they will trade him, because you can’t lose Nikola Jokic for nothing,” Moore said. “They will trade him to the Lakers, I guess, if that’s what he wants, or wherever he wants to go. They’ll trade him and get a bunch back for him.”
While Moore believes Jokic could request a trade to the Lakers if the former MVP chooses to move on, the Nuggets reporter also thinks there is still a better chance he remains in Denver rather than be dealt elsewhere.
“I don’t expect [Nuggets ownership] to move him because they make too much money off having Jokic,” Moore said. He is profitable for them. I don’t expect him to get moved; I still expect Joker to be around.”
Can the Nuggets Rebuild a Contender Around Their Star?
Perhaps the hardest thing of all to do: put the necessary pieces around a generational talent to win a championship.
In 2023, the Nuggets proved they could. But a ton has changed since then.
The team’s top two stars in Jokic and Jamal Murray have only gotten better since winning a title years ago, but their supporting cast has visibly lacked in major moments.
The Nuggets’ problem all season hasn’t been their offense, it’s been their defense, which has struggled mightily at times to contain the Wolves in this first round series. Lump that with Jokic playing the worst series of his career and you have Denver in a 3-1 hole.
Barring an unforeseen turnaround this postseason, the Nuggets are headed face-first into an offseason jam packed with questions. Jokic and Murray are still under contract, so it would take a mind-blowing offer for the Nuggets to trade either star. But the supporting cast is likely to undergo a major overhaul.
If Jokic and the Nuggets go through another season of disappointment in 2026-27, that could open the door for the three-time MVP wanting to join his pal Doncic in Los Angeles.
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