Nikola Jokić Dealt to NBA East Powerhouse for 5-Time All-Star in League-Changing Mock Trade
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Denver Nuggets future Hall of Famer Nikola Jokić is an incomparable player. But we’re going to comp him anyway.
It could be argued that the only other center in NBA history who boasted the Joker's across-the-court skillset was Wilt Chamberlain. (Hell, it could also be argued that the only other player in NBA history who boasted Jokić’s across-the-court skillset was Wilt Chamberlain.)
The Dipper was far more stat-conscious than the Joker, topping him in career averages in two of the three major offensive categories, those being points (30.1 to 20.9), and rebounds (22.9 to 10.7).
However, the Serbian is, was, and always will be a more willing passer than the Stilt ever was, beating Chamberlain in career average assists, 6.9 to 4.4. That said, when Wilt chose to, he could drop dimes with the best of ‘em, as borne out by his 1966-67 and 1967-68 seasons, when he averaged, respectively, 7.8 and 8.6 assists.
In terms of individual hardware, Chamberlain has four MVPs to his name, as compared to Jokić’s three, but Nikola still has plenty of gas left in the tank, something of which Vegas is well aware—as of this writing, DraftKings Sportsbook has the Nuggets star listed as the +200 favorite to win the 2025-26 postseason hardware.
But here’s an interesting tidbit: Wilt is one of the greatest individual performers in the history of the Association, yet he played for three teams: the Warriors (both Philadelphia and San Francisco), the 76ers, and the Lakers.
Jokić has spent his career with just one franchise.
But that could change.
No Joke?
Earlier this week, we learned that Jokić won’t yet ink a new deal with the Nuggets, with ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk explaining, “Jokić is eligible to sign a three-year, $200 million extension up until Oct. 20, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks. The first year of the extension would have replaced his player option. By waiting until the 2026 offseason to work on an extension, the Nuggets star is able to add a fourth year at an additional $77 million, according to Marks.”
Unlike the often-selfish Chamberlain, Jokić is a fantastic teammate who, if he so desired, could put up Wilt-like numbers. But to his credit, he much prefers team success to individual accolades, so nobody in the Nuggets organization has any desire whatsoever to trade him.
But if Jokić and his reps make it clear to the Denver brass that he plans to test the free agent market, the team might have to make a move, because there’s absolutely, positively, 100% no way then can lose the superduperstar without getting anything in return.
So it’s time to start spreading the news.
The Franchise That Never Sleeps
Considering the plague of high-profile players going down with major injuries (Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton) and others who simply can’t stay on the court (Joel Embiid), the Eastern Conference is up for grabs. Count the New York Knicks among the teams—if not the team—best positioned to do the grabbing.
With new head coach Mike Brown in the house, a roster reboot wouldn’t be out of the question. If Brown, GM Leon Rose, and the New York brass decide to shoot for the moon today—and in this instance, moon-shooting means sacrificing their future in order to steal a ring while Tatum’s Celtics and Haliburton’s Pacers are sacrificing their seasons—Rose could dial up Nuggets GM Josh Kroenke and offer him a little somethin’ like this:
New York Knicks Receive:
- Nikola Jokić
- Aaron Gordon
- Jonas Valanciunas
- Peyton Watson
- Julian Strawther
- Zeke Nnaji
Denver Nuggets Receive:
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- Mikal Bridges
- Josh Hart
- New York’s 2026 first-round draft pick (most favorable of two)
- New York’s 2026 first-round draft pick (protected 1-8, via WAS)
- New York’s 2026 second-round draft pick (most favorable of two)
- New York’s 2028 first-round draft pick (conditional)
- New York’s 2030 first-round draft pick
- Cash considerations
Why It Could Work For Denver
A KAT/Jamal Murray/Mikal Bridges/Josh Hart/Christian Braun core will keep the Nugs them in the mix for the next three seasons—only Hart will be 30 on opening night of the 2025-26 campaign, while Towns, Murray, Bridges, and Braun will clock in at, respectively, 29, 28, 27, and 24. And the pile of future firsts will keep them in the mix for five-plus seasons after that.
Yeah, they might have trouble sneaking by the absurdly young, absurdly well-stocked defending champion OKC Thunder as it currently stands, but if Denver has no choice but to move on from the Joker, they could certainly do worse.
Why It Could Work For New York
Every team in the East will shudder at the thought of trying to contain a Jokić and Jalen Brunson twosome. That duo alone should win the Knicks the East in 2025-26, and it’s strong enough to compete with the Celtics and the Pacers when Tatum and Haliburton return to the court in 2026-27.
Landing 22-year-old Watson and 23-year-old Strawther—a potential-laden pair that Denver would all but have to include in the deal in order to make the money work—could turn out to be a nice way for the Knicks to survive until they get another first-round pick…in 2032.
Why It Could Work For Fantasy Hoops Players
Regardless of where he’s decamped, the 30-year-old Jokić will be a top-three fantasy option for at least the next three seasons, and there’s no reason to think he won’t statistically thrive on a New York team, even alongside a ball-dominant guard like Brunson.
And speaking of Brunson, since Jokić will be playing a whole bunch of point-center, the former Villanova Wildcat will have more outside scoring opportunities, plenty of which will come from beyond the arc, improving his already-elite value in nine-category leagues.
In the Mile High City, Towns—now the undisputed focal point of an offense—will become one of the NBA’s top three fantasy players, potentially a louder force than Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Bridges and Hart will both be under-the-radar fantasy pests who shouldn’t remain on your draft board beyond the fifth round. And a Bridges/Cameron Johnson pairing will be a defensive problem for every team out West; both could help your team win the steals, blocks, and free-throw percentage categories.
So the Knicks grab the W now, and the Nuggets grab the W later, and fantasy players grab W’s both now and later.
Even the eternally grumpy Wilt Chamberlain would be impressed.
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-82121a1351894b8089c555f4b4b69420-1d609352940036e7455770363a74a2e9.png "Alan Goldsher")
Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.