Nuggets: Did Nuggets Big Man Recruit Luka Doncic during All-Star Weekend?
Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic turned some heads after last Sunday’s 2024 NBA All-Star Game when he broached the idea of teaming up with Luka Doncic in Mile High City.
“I don’t know. It’s possible. I don’t want to leave Denver. I like it there. It’s a great organization. But if Luka gets pissed off in Dallas, he can come,” the Nuggets superstar said in Serbian (translated by Miroslav Ćuk of DNVR Nuggets).
However, Ćuk noted that Jokic was just messing around and was not all that serious about luring the Dallas Mavericks star to go to Denver.
“To be clear, this is Jokić continuing to throw darts at his buddy, it’s not a serious answer. Of course, he would love to play with his friend.”
Still, it is quite unreal to imagine both Jokic and Doncic playing on the same team in the NBA. Well, they technically just did when they took part in the aforementioned All-Star Game in Indiana. Jokic posted 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out nine assists in 23 minutes. Doncic also saw action for 23 minutes and recorded seven points on 3-for-10 shooting with seven boards and seven dimes.
There is no way that the Mavericks will give up Doncic in a trade to the Nuggets or any other team at this point in time. It can be recalled that Dallas signed the Slovenian to a five-year $215.16 million extension deal back in 2021 with a player option for the 2026-27 campaign worth nearly $49 million.
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Anthony Davis Says Nikola Jokic And Luka Doncic Were His Favorite Players To Share The Court With At The NBA All-Star Game
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game might not have been the beacon of competitive basketball the league was hoping it’d be, but it provided a lot of fun moments to fans watching at home. The antics of Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic were among the biggest highlights, and it seems their energy was fun for players on their team.
Anthony Davis was on the West All-Stars and said after the event that he enjoyed sharing the court the most with Luka and Jokic.
“Luka [Doncic] and [Nikola] Jokic. Those guys are comedy. They’re really funny. It’s good to be on the other side of all the plays that they make happen. It was fun sharing the court with everyone, but I think those two guys were very great.”
Both players are notorious for their extremely low-effort performances at the All-Star Game. It was a trend that continued in this year’s edition, as Doncic ended the night with seven points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in a feat that No. 77 claims was intentional. Jokic put up 13 points and 9 assists in a slightly better performance but not nearly the MVP level we see in the regular season.
Going an entire play without letting the ball touch the ground is bound to impress the players around, and Davis appreciated the skill and energy the two European stars brought despite not taking the game seriously.
Nikola Jokic Says He Won’t Leave The Nuggets To Team Up With Luka Doncic
Fans who have noticed the close bond Jokic and Doncic share have often wondered if the pair would ever team up in the NBA. For two quiet players who don’t have many friends around the league, they have a tight relationship with each other. Jokic was asked by a Serbian journalist if he’d ever team up with Luka and the reigning Finals MVP made it clear that such a partnership can only work if Luka joins the Nuggets.
“I don’t know. It’s possible. I don’t want to leave Denver, I like it there, it’s a great organization. But if Luka gets pissed off in Dallas, he can come.”
There have been grumbling rumors of Doncic possibly being unhappy in Dallas after the organization’s repeated mistakes in building a team around him, most notably letting close friend Jalen Brunson leave as a free agent. That experience prompted Doncic to take an active role in team building, pushing for the Kyrie Irving trade and approving deadline-day moves to acquire Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington.
Luka also stands to sign the biggest contract extension in NBA history with his next deal in Dallas, so that’ll be a hard thing to turn down for the 24-year-old point guard.
A possible Doncic-Jokic duo is not going to materialize anytime soon. The Nuggets may completely fall apart or the Mavericks could completely fall apart within a season, so we never can predict what will happen. However, the two organizations are happy with these players being their cornerstones and will likely not part with them easily.
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