According to a recent trade idea proposed by Fadeaway World , the Dallas Mavericks could pair Luka Doncic with a superstar big man from another team by acquiring Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets.
As explained by the publication on Saturday, Jokic has proven during his time with the Nuggets that he can lead a team to a deep postseason run, especially during this year’s playoffs where he helped Denver overcome a 3-1 deficit and eliminate the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals. While it was speculated that the Serbian center will likely want to stay with the Nuggets “for the foreseeable future,” the outlet hinted that if he asks to be moved elsewhere, he might want to play for another winning organization.
In the hypothetical deal, the Mavericks would be acquiring Jokic for a package featuring big men Kristaps Porzingis and Maxi Kleber and two future first-round draft picks. Such a transaction, as explained, would allow the Mavs to have two elite playmakers on the same roster, potentially giving them a better chance of going deeper in the playoffs.
“Pairing the best passing big man in the league with Luka Doncic is a move that could only lead to success with the Mavericks. Kristaps Porzingis is a great player who can shoot the ball very well for his size. Yet, Porzingis is no Jokic; he lacks the playmaking capability of Jokic, and sometimes that can be the difference between a playoff exit or winning championships.”
According to his Basketball-Reference player page, Jokic averaged 19.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and seven assists per game in the 2019-20 campaign, starting all of the 73 regular-season games he suited up for. He also shot an impressive 52.8 percent from the field and connected on 31.4 percent of his three-point attempts.
Meanwhile, the theoretical trade could turn out to be a “great” move for the Nuggets’ future, as predicted by Fadeaway World . Porzingis was described as the “perfect co-star” for point guard Jamal Murray, given his ability to shoot from outside and how he would likely require fewer touches than Jokic. Kleber, who mostly came off the bench for Dallas, was referred to as a “solid” acquisition, while it was also noted that the two first-round selections could be used on role players.
While having Jokic team up with Doncic on the Mavericks could lead to some intriguing possibilities if the deal becomes a reality, most of the recent rumors surrounding the organization have been focused on shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. Recently, it was proposed that Dallas could send him and four draft picks to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for their top scorer from the 2019-20 season, Zach LaVine .
