Luka Dončić Rumors: Nuggets Eyed PG Joins Jokić and Kings Rejects Trade in 2018 Draft | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

According to longtime Nuggets insider Mike Singer, the Denver Nuggets made a play for Luka Dončić in the 2018 NBA draft.

Singer, who now works for the team, revealed the latest episode of Brian Windhorst’s Hope Collective podcast that Denver “had designs on pairing Nikola Jokić with Luka Dončić.”

According to Singer, the Nuggets contacted the Sacramento Kings, who had the No. 2 overall pick, about trading a package that included Gary Harris and two first-round picks.

In retrospect, Sacramento would have been better off if they had taken that deal instead of doing what it actually did. Selecting Marvin Bagley III was one of the biggest draft moves in recent memory, as Dončić, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Trae Young were the next three players off the board.

However, Denver’s offer was arguably less attractive than what the Mavericks gave up to acquire Dončić. The Atlanta Hawks got Trae Young and a protected first-rounder in 2019, which they used on Cam Reddish.

Harris has been a solid two-way point guard during his 11 years in the league, but is clearly not the franchise cornerstone that Young quickly became in Atlanta. The Nuggets’ first-round picks were also of limited value at the time, having emerged as a playoff candidate who was no longer in the lottery.

Singer said, “We have a great what-if” if Denver had been willing to include Jamal Murray in the negotiations.

During the 2019 offseason, Singer reported that the team also resisted overtures from the New Orleans Pelicans to give up Murray in an Anthony Davis trade.

The Nuggets won a title in 2023, with Murray playing a crucial role in the postseason. That alone is enough to justify the confidence the front office had in the dynamic guard.

Still, it’s impossible not to think about what the franchise could have achieved had Dončić arrived right as Jokić ascended to elite status.