What a fairytale story it would be if Luka Doncic was drafted by the Nuggets, who took Nikola Jokic in the 2014 draft.
In 2018, Denver attempted to trade up to No. 2 overall pick with Luka Doncic their target pick.
The Kings took the No. 2 pick that year and selected Marvin Bagley, and the Hawks traded up from the No. 3 pick, sending Doncic’s draft rights to the Mavs for the No. 1 pick. 5 – Trae Young and 2019 first round pick Cam Reddish.
“The Nuggets knew Vlade Divac wasn’t above Luka Doncic,” said Mike Singer, a Denver Post reporter and current Nuggets employee. The Hoop Collective Podcast. “They also had plans to pair Nikola Jokic with Luka Doncic. On draft night in 2018, they tried. A phone call rang. There was an offer and the Nuggets are trying to get the No. 2 pick Gary Harris and two first round picks is what I was told.
“You can roll your eyes at that price, but look back. The Kings ended up taking Marvin Bagley with the number 2 pick. I’m not saying this trade was imminent. All I’m saying is that this trade was discussed and considered because the Nuggets knew Vlade Divas wasn’t very high on Luka Doncic and they tried to exploit it.
“The bottom line is that if the Nuggets had ever agreed to part ways with Jamal Murray, we have a hell of a lot to say about it in the annals of NBA history, but that didn’t happen.”
Having a young Doncic and Jokic on the same team would have been a good thing, and who knows, they would still be playing together to this day.
“I wasn’t in the room,” Singer added. “I wasn’t in the front office at the time. What I do know is that it was considered, studied, tested, and I have someone say anonymously ‘For 30 seconds, we thought we had Luke.’ Which is a fancy word.”
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