Nikola Jokic Trade Discussed by Nuggets' Josh Kroenke, Talks Team's Trade Block

Trading franchise centerpiece Nikola Jokić is the one move Denver Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke ruled out this offseason.

Kroenke told reporters Friday that "everything's on the table right now" other than a Jokić trade.

Last summer, Kroenke created a small headache for himself when he presented a scenario where the Nuggets hit a wall and have no choice but to trade Jokić.

"I should be clear, because my words got twisted in an interesting way last summer," he said Friday when alluding that snafu.

The Nuggets are facing some difficult questions as they attempt to construct another championship winner around their star center.

Kroenke posited the organization could simply decide to run it back for 2026-27. There's something to be said for continuity, and general managers can occasionally overreact to what's a small sample.

In the case of Denver, though, the team simply looks stuck.

After winning the 2024 Finals, the Nuggets twice lost in the second round and couldn't even get out of the first round this season. The status quo isn't working, and Jokić is only a year out from free agency. Sitting on their hands may not be an option for Kroenke and executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer.

In the wake of the Game 6 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Denver Post's Bennett Durando wrote how "Denver's first-round flame-out was disastrous enough that anyone other than Jokić could feasibly be shipped off."

Perhaps guard Jamal Murray or forward Aaron Gordon could be on the chopping block.

Kroenke's remarks Friday only reinforced the obvious. Dealing Jokić is an absolute last resort.

If only sorting out the rest of the roster were that easy.