The Toronto Raptors have spent years looking for a dependable All-Star-level center, and this season could finally put one within reach.
The name is a wild one, but it’s sitting there for a reason: Nikola Jokić. The three-time NBA MVP is in the final controlled season of his five-year, $276 million contract with the Denver Nuggets. He’s 31, stands 6-foot-11, and holds a player option for 2027-28, which opens the door for a possible move before this season’s trade deadline if Denver slips out of playoff position.
Denver did win the title with Jokić in 2023, but the team hasn’t made it back to the Finals since. Its latest postseason ended badly, with a six-game first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. If the Nuggets worry Jokić could turn down that player option and reach free agency, they may have real motivation to deal him rather than risk losing him for nothing.
For Toronto, the appeal is obvious.
Jokić has averaged a triple-double over the past two seasons and has led the league in rebounds, which is exactly the sort of production the Raptors have lacked. Last season, Toronto finished 24th in the NBA in rebounding at 42.1 boards per game. Jokić grabbed 12.9 rebounds per game on his own while helping Denver rank among the league’s best on the glass.
There’s also a built-in connection between Jokić and Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković, who coached him with the Serbian national team. Rajaković has been vocal about his admiration for Jokić, calling him the best player Serbia has ever produced and one of the greatest passing centers in basketball history. The two are also reportedly close away from the court.
"As great a player as he is, and he is fantastic, he is an even better person," Rajaković said in a recent interview with Serbian outlet Kole Point.
"He belongs in that category of players where there is simply no way to stop them. Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama and LeBron James are in that category."
When the Raptors play in Denver or the Nuggets come to Toronto, Rajaković and Jokić apparently make time to have dinner together and catch up.
The fit makes sense on the basketball side, but the mechanics would be a major hurdle. Toronto would need to take on Jokić’s huge contract, and any deal would likely require a hefty package of players and draft picks. Names such as Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, plus multiple first-round picks, could be part of the discussion to make the money and value line up.
And plenty would have to break right before anything like this could happen. Denver would need to tumble out of contention, the Nuggets would need to decide to move one of the league’s biggest stars in his prime, and Jokić would have to be willing to leave.
Even so, if the Nuggets do stumble, the Raptors are a team that will be watching closely.
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