Despite losing the MVP race last season and potentially again this year due to missed time, there is no questioning that Nikola Jokic is the best player in the NBA. The three-time MVP and former NBA Finals MVP is averaging 29.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game. The Denver Nuggets star just returned from an extended absence due to a bone bruise in his knee. His 16 missed games made for the longest stretch of inactivity in his career. Jokic has always been a durable and reliable star, though, and he is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest players in NBA history.
Jokic is a loyal player who will likely retire a Nugget, and Denver hopes that more MVPs and championships will come in his career. The team would never trade him, as not even the most impressive trade package ever created would be enough to land Jokic. He is just too talented. After all, Jokic is an unstoppable scorer and rebounder inside; he is one of the best passers ever despite playing the center position, his basketball IQ is unmatched, and he is regularly one of the most efficient 3-point shooters in the NBA.
It is always fun to theorize potential trades, though, especially after a fellow foreign star and offensive engine like Luka Doncic was shockingly traded last year. While Jokic won't be traded at the 2026 NBA trade deadline, or anytime soon for that matter, what are some deals that make just an inkling of sense?
Boston Celtics
Celtics receive: Nikola Jokic, Zeke Nnaji
Nuggets receive: Jaylen Brown, Jordan Walsh, Sam Hauser, two first-round picks, four first-round pick swaps, five second-round picks
There isn't a star worth trading Jokic for, but Jaylen Brown has really upped his game in Jayson Tatum's absence. With Tatum sidelined, Brown has proven that he is a true megastar, and not just a second option. Like Jokic, Brown is a former NBA Finals MVP. He is averaging 29.4 points per game while playing elite defense this season, and he surprisingly has the Celtics in third place in the Eastern Conference.
Upon Tatum's return from an achilles tear, though, the preexisting hierarchy of Tatum as 1A and Brown as the second option may return to form. The Celtics just so happen to need a long-term center, too. If they could finesse a deal for one of the best centers in NBA history, they'd be willing to part with Brown, even after all he has done for the franchise this season and in years past.
The Celtics would also part with Jordan Walsh, Sam Hauser, two first-round picks, and pick swaps every other year in this trade. Walsh has really come into his own as a defensive force this season, and Hauser provides 3-point shooting. Despite that being a decent amount of draft capital, it would be far from enough to realistically acquire Jokic. After all, pick swaps wouldn't do much for Denver because a Jokic-led Celtics team would be picking at the end of the first round on a yearly basis.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Thunder receive: Nikola Jokic
Nuggets receive: Isaiah Hartenstein, Thomas Sorber, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, eight first-round picks (two of which were originally Denver's)
Jokic won't be traded, but if the Nuggets were to even consider a deal for one single second, it would likely only be for a trade package as grand as what the Oklahoma City Thunder could offer. Despite being the reigning champions, the Thunder are set up incredibly well for the future with more draft capital than any other team.
Trading for Jokic would require a bigger trade package than anything seen before. In this deal, the Thunder would trade a whopping eight first-round picks for Jokic. The Thunder's core was built because of a huge trade in which they added tons of youth and draft capital in return for Paul George. This trade would be eerily similar, but even more grand.
It just may be worth it for the Thunder, though. Jokic is that great. Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will likely have five combined MVPs after this season. Pairing them together, along with All-Star talents in Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, would give the Thunder the potential to be the most unbeatable team in NBA history.
The Thunder would lose role players in Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, and Isaiah Hartenstein in this deal, as well as 2025 first-round pick Thomas Sorber. The team has so much depth that it just wouldn't matter, though. In addition to a newly formed big four, the Thunder would still have a rotation rounded out by Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Kenrich Williams, Ajay Mitchell, and Jaylin Williams. Nikola Topic and Ousmane Dieng have the potential to become contributors, too.
San Antonio Spurs
Spurs receive: Nikola Jokic, 2031 first-round pick swap
Nuggets receive: Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, Kelly Olynyk
Jokic and Victor Wembanyama are perhaps the two most untradeable players in the NBA. Nobody is as talented as Jokic, but Wembanyama has a never-before-seen ceiling. The 22-year-old is 7-foot-4 and has a guard-like offensive skill set. He can create off the bounce and hit step back jump shots, which has never been seen before by someone his size. He will also be the perennial Defensive Player of the Year favorite going forward.
While still highly unlikely, the only way either Jokic or Wembanyama would be traded may be if they were dealt for each other. Even then, giving up on the deepest Jokic-led team they've had wouldn't make much sense for Denver, and it would make no sense for San Antonio to get older.
At the end of the day, a Jokic trade has about a 0% chance of happening. These are the three trades that could make fans think for just one second, though.
