The Lakers’ future is already being shaped around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, but a fresh development in Denver has put Nikola Jokic back into the conversation for Los Angeles.
This has been a busy summer for the Lakers, with major roster changes as the team tries to build a group that can contend for championships. Doncic is clearly on board with the direction, but he is not interested in waiting around.
As CBS Sports’ Jasmyn Wimbish wrote, “Dončić being just 26 gives the Lakers a far longer timeline to build a championship-contending team, but that doesn't mean they can slow down and take their time. Dončić told Lakers president Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick in May that he's not interested in taking the slow approach in building a contender,”
The latest twist came Wednesday, when the Nuggets sent Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a five-team trade. That move stripped Denver of one of its most promising young players and, in the process, prompted more questions about where the franchise is headed around Jokic.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey pointed to the bigger picture surrounding Denver’s decision. “Despite all of the accolades he's already piled up, Jokić is smack-dab in the middle of his prime.
The 31-year-old has a mostly ground-bound game that should age relatively well. And his team basically just punted on the restricted free agency of its biggest and perhaps best upside bet,” Bailey wrote.
For the Lakers, Jokic has long been seen as a name to watch. Lake Show Life’s Tyler Watts thinks the recent Denver move only strengthens that possibility.
“The odds of the three-time MVP leaving the Nuggets increased. He wants to be a Nugget for life, so Lakers fans should bet the house on landing him.
Things can change quickly in the NBA. If Denver struggles again this season, Jokic may look to move on next summer.
It would take a sign-and-trade to get him to Los Angeles, but the Lakers would happily make that move,” Watts wrote.
If that path ever opened, the fit would be obvious. Doncic and Jokic already have a strong relationship, and combining two elite passers on the same roster would give Los Angeles a completely different kind of offense. Their playmaking would put constant pressure on defenses and make the Lakers a much harder team to contain.
Jokic will still suit up this season, and his future will be decided later. But the Lakers will be watching closely. If they ever managed to put Doncic, Reaves and Jokic together, Los Angeles would suddenly have a star-packed Big Three and a legitimate case as one of the Western Conference’s toughest outs.
In Other News...
Nuggets Fans Have Every Reason To Worry About Denvers Cap Crunch
Denvers roster math is getting harder to ignore, and Peyton Watsons departure only sharpens the concern. The Nuggets were already navigating a tight salary picture, with contract commitments piling up around a core that still has to be built out if the team wants to stay competitive in the West. Losing a young piece like Watson leaves another empty spot to fill, and it comes at a time when every move seems tied to the same financial squeeze.
Christian Brauns long-term extension has only added to the pressure on Denvers front office, especially as questions linger about whether the price tag will match the production going forward. For a team trying to balance present expectations with future flexibility, that kind of commitment matters. The Nuggets now have less room to maneuver, and the next roster decision could say a lot about how much risk they are willing to take to keep this group intact. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Just Got Pulled Into A Move With Bigger NBA Stakes
Peyton Watson is on the move, and the ripple effects of the five-team trade that sent him from Denver to Cleveland could reach well beyond the original deal. The Nuggets were part of a sprawling transaction involving multiple draft picks and player movement, a reminder that summer roster work can still reshape both present depth and future flexibility in one sweep.
Now the bigger question around Denver is what comes next, especially with DeMar DeRozan suddenly on the free-agent market after being waived by Sacramento. The six-time All-Star would give Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray another polished scorer to lean on, and for a Nuggets team still searching for the right balance around its stars, the timing makes the possibility more than just a footnote. [Read more 🡒]
David Adelmans Bench Decisions Could Make Or Break Denvers Depth
With the Nuggets roster turning over around him, David Adelman is being asked to solve one of the trickiest parts of coaching in the NBA: keeping the floor steady when the starters sit. Denver lost key rotation pieces and now has to fold in younger, less experienced options, including rookie Alpha Diallo and second-round pick Trevon Brazile, while Tyus Jones is penciled in as the backup point guard. For a team that expects to play deep into the spring, those non-star minutes can matter as much as any late-game possession.
Adelmans task is less about simply finding bodies and more about finding the right pairings, especially on a bench that has to hold up defensively without giving away too much offense. The Nuggets will also lean on assistant coach Dave Joerger to help build out the second unit, giving Denver a little more structure as the rotation takes shape. The early read on how those combinations work could go a long way toward determining whether the Nuggets depth becomes a strength or a concern. [Read more 🡒]