Shams Says Nuggets' Kroenke Would 'Never' Want to Trade Nikola Jokic Despite Comments
The Denver Nuggets are doing a bit of damage control after team president Josh Kroenke randomly decided to bring up a scenario in which Nikola Jokić could get traded.
Appearing on Wednesday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show (starts at 1:10 mark), ESPN's Shams Charania explained that Kroenke would "never consider or want" to trade Jokić and there's no indication the three-time MVP is looking for a way out of Denver.
One thing that has stood out very early this offseason is how teams seem to be aggressively avoiding the second apron and the penalties that come with it. This has been most apparent with the Boston Celtics agreeing to trade Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis in separate deals.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kroenke invoked the second apron and injury issues for Nuggets players as something that could derail them before dropping the hammer about what those things could mean for Jokić's future:
"For us, as an organization, going into that second apron is not necessarily something that we’re scared of. I think there are rules around it that we need to be very careful of with our injury history. The wrong person gets injured, and very quickly, you’re in the scenario that I never want to have to contemplate, and that’s trading No. 15. We’re very conscious of that pushing forward."
To be fair, Kroenke said that was a scenario he never wants to contemplate. Just bringing it up, though, it is a perfect example of the pink elephant problem that makes it impossible for Nuggets fans to think of anything else.
If there is a way to calm down everyone in Denver, it would be Jokić signing a contract extension that he is eligible for this summer. There are indications he will do just that.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne reported in April following Michael Malone's firing that the assumption around the NBA is Jokić will sign a three-year, $212 million deal that would keep him under contract through the 2029-30 season.
Even though the Nuggets are on track to be in the luxury tax for a fourth consecutive season, they are approximately $10 million under the second apron. They will be limited by the first apron, but that still gives them a little wiggle room to add around the margins of their roster.
It also stands to reason that the Nuggets would look to trade anyone else on their roster with a large salary before they went to Jokić.
Michael Porter Jr., who is owed $38.3 million next season, would seem like the first trade option for the Nuggets even though indications at this point are he will be back in 2025-26.
Regardless, the last player the Nuggets should consider trading right now is Jokić. They just took the newly crowned NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals, so they can reasonably be expected to enter next season as a top-tier title contender as presently constructed.
Jokić just had arguably the greatest statistical season in NBA history, which is quite an accomplishment for a player who already had three MVP trophies on his resume. He averaged 29.6 points on 57.6 percent shooting (41.7 percent from three), 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game.
