The Los Angeles Lakers may have a path to Nikola Jokic next summer, and it starts with a surprising development out of Denver.
According to NBA insider Mark Stein, who required a subscription for the report, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is unlikely to sign a max extension this summer. If that holds, Jokic could reach free agency after next season, and that instantly puts the Lakers in the conversation.
That possibility also complicates Los Angeles’ own offseason plans. The Lakers have $52 million in cap space this summer, but that flexibility disappears next summer if they commit to players on multi-year deals. In that scenario, their only realistic route to Jokic would be a sign-and-trade.
That leaves the Lakers with a delicate balancing act. They can’t simply go all-in on this summer’s market if they want to preserve a shot at Jokic. One possible path would be using Austin Reaves as the centerpiece of a sign-and-trade with Denver, assuming Jokic wanted to land in Los Angeles next summer.
And if the Nuggets didn’t want Reaves directly, he could still be sent to another team for assets that could later be rerouted to Denver.
For now, the Lakers need to improve their roster without boxing themselves out of a bigger opportunity a year from now. That kind of flexibility has worked for them before, and it could matter again here.
They also have one more advantage in their favor: Luka Doncic is close friends with Jokic.
That connection gives Los Angeles an edge in any future pursuit of the three-time league MVP. It also adds another layer of pressure on Denver, which appears to be nearing the end of its run.
There’s still a chance Jokic is using this situation to push the Nuggets toward major changes, including a possible move for Boston Celtics star Jalen Brown. But if Denver can’t make the kind of swing he wants, the Lakers could be waiting as the team ready to pounce next offseason.
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Nuggets Suddenly Have One Wild Chance To Save This Offseason
LeBron James has reportedly told the Lakers he intends to play elsewhere for a 24th NBA season, and that alone has pushed Denver into a conversation it probably did not expect to have this summer. If the Nuggets are looking for one last swing to reshape an offseason that has not delivered much certainty, the idea of adding James at least gives them a path to chase, with a player whose next move is expected to be driven less by money than by fit, role and the chance to keep winning.
For Denver, the appeal is obvious on paper. Pairing James with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray would give the Nuggets another elite layer in a championship equation that already has plenty of weight, even if there is no direct connection between the sides and no sign James is leaning their way. The possibility is enough to linger, though, because the league's biggest names do not often reach the open market in a way that leaves even a long shot looking like a real offseason lifeline. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Suddenly Have A Real Threat To Lose Peyton Watson
Peyton Watson has become one of the more interesting pieces of Denvers offseason, and not just because the Nuggets view him as a restricted free agent worth keeping. The expectation around the league is that Denver will come prepared with a substantial offer for the young wing, a sign of how much the organization values his upside and two-way potential as it tries to keep its core intact.
Marc Stein reported that there is at least one outside angle to watch, with cap space potentially shifting if the Clippers make a major move of their own. Even so, Denver still holds the key advantage here in Watsons restricted status, which gives the Nuggets the ability to match an offer sheet and make themselves the clear favorite to keep him in the fold. [Read more 🡒]