Luka Doncic Almost Went to Nuggets With in 2018 Draft

What a fairytale story it would have been if Luka Doncic was drafted by the Nuggets, who took Nikola Jokic in the 2014 draft.

In 2018, Denver attempted to trade up to the No. 2 overall pick with Luka Doncic their target selection.

The Kings held the No. 2 pick that year and picked Marvin Bagley, while the Hawks traded down from No. 3, sending the draft rights for Doncic to Mavs for the No. 5 pick – which became Trae Young and a first round pick in 2019 that became Cam Reddish.

“The Nuggets knew that Vlade Divac was not particularly high on Luka Doncic,” Mike Singer, a former Denver Post reporter and current employee of the Nuggets, explained on The Hoop Collective Podcast. “And they had designs on pairing Nikola Jokic with Luka Doncic. On draft night in 2018, they tried. There was a call placed. There was a proposal and the Nuggets attempted to get the No. 2 pick for Gary Harris and two first round picks was what I was told.

“You can roll your eyes at that price tag, but look in retrospect. The Kings ended up taking Marvin Bagley with the No. 2 pick. I’m not saying this trade was imminent. All I’m saying is this trade was discussed and considered because the Nuggets knew Vlade Divas was not particularly high on Luka Doncic and they tried to exploit it.

“The wrinkle in this is if the Nuggets had ever been willing to part with Jamal Murray, we have a hell of a what-if in the annals of NBA history, but that did not happen.”

Having a young Doncic and Jokic on the same team would have been something of beauty, and who knows, they could have been still playing together to this day.

“I was not in the room,” Singer added. “I was not in the front office at the time. All I know is it was considered, explored, vetted, and I have somebody saying anonymously ‘For 30 seconds, we thought we had Luka.’ Which is a gargantuan statement.”