Nuggets fans have truly hit the jackpot with a generational superstar basketball savant who also couldn’t be less of a distraction off the court. Nikola Jokic has never made a peep about wanting to leave Denver, putting any pressure on the front office, or even expressing the slightest sentiment of unhappiness towards the franchise.
Still, there will always be rumors and speculation about the Joker being traded or leaving in free agency, and even if it’s just wishcasting, it will always get clicks, views, and listens. So, it should come as no surprise that Jokic was selected in the “Star Movement Draft” conducted by NBA expert Nate Duncan and former league executive John Hollinger.
On a recent episode of Hollinger and Duncan, the two held their third annual star movement draft in which they took turns picking the current stars they deem most likely to be traded before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Hollinger took the obvious choice first with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who seems almost certain to be gone. Duncan went next and took Kawhi Leonard, then Hollinger went with Kyrie Irving, Nate snagged Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James got taken by John, and then with the sixth pick, Duncan selected Nikola Jokic.
Until Jokic signs his extension, anything could happen
Now, Duncan and Hollinger both acknowledged that Jokic has never given any reason to believe he wants to leave, but at the same time, he didn’t sign an extension last offseason. There were very real financial reasons for that, and the assumption is that he will sign an extension this summer that will likely keep him in Denver for his whole career.
But he hasn’t signed it yet.
And until he does, there are always going to be some nerves around Nuggets Nation. How could there not be? This is the greatest player in the history of the franchise and the biggest reason why there’s a championship banner hanging in the Pepsi Center. For him to be with any other team is unthinkable and blasphemous.
But in this era of player movement and the second apron, anything is possible. Despite what much of the public believes, Jokic cares about basketball. A lot. He wants to win, and he wants to go down as one of, if not the greatest player in NBA history.
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If he loses faith that he can accomplish that with the Nuggets, then maybe he would actually start to wonder about what life would be like elsewhere. What if they implode in the playoffs? What if Murray or Gordon wants to leave? What if ownership blows it with Peyton Watson?
As scary as it is to imagine, there are plenty of reasonable scenarios that could play out over the next few months that could leave Jokic rightfully annoyed. Would that rise to the level of requesting a trade? It doesn’t seem likely, but anything is possible in this league.
The fact that it’s being discussed at all is enough to make Nuggets fans uneasy, and whatever they may say, until his name is written on the dotted line and the ink is dry, there are going to be some stressful moments.