The idea of ​​Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic has been a basketball fantasy in the minds of NBA fans for years. It always seemed like this couple seemed too extravagant to be real. Turns out there was a time when this almost actually happened.

According to former Denver Post reporter and now current Nuggets employee Mike Singer, the Nuggets attempted to trade for the number two pick in the 2018 draft. The team wanted to pair Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic as early as 2018.

“The Nuggets knew Vlade Divac wasn’t particularly high compared to Luka Doncic,” Singer said on The Hoop collective podcast. “And they intended to pair Nikola Jokic with Luka Doncic. On draft night in 2018, they tried. There was a call. There was a proposal and the Nuggets tried to get the No. 2 pick for Gary Harris and two first round picks, that’s what I was told.

While the asking price for Luka Doncic seems laughable, it’s worth noting that the Kings took Marvin Bagley instead of Doncic. Vlade’s insistence on not drafting Doncic was something the Nuggets were trying to exploit, according to Singer.

“I’m not saying this trade was imminent,” Singer said. “All I’m saying is that this trade was discussed and considered because the Nuggets knew Vlade Divas wasn’t particularly high on Luka Doncic and they tried to exploit him.

The biggest question mark in this scenario is what would happen to Jamal Murray if this were to happen. However, the Nuggets still finished with their championship, so everything went according to plan. Yet, for a while, the Nuggets actually thought they had Luka Doncic.

“I have someone anonymously say, ‘For 30 seconds we thought we had Luka.’ That’s a gargantuan statement,” Singer said.

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