The Golden State Warriors may be reaping the rewards of their blockbuster move for Jimmy Butler at the mid-season trade deadline, but that may not stop them from considering even bigger deals in the summer should the potential arise.
The dream scenario of pairing Giannis Antetokounmpo with Stephen Curry has hardly been a secret, and could grow in possibility if the Milwaukee Bucks were to be eliminated in the playoffs for a third-straight year.
Yet an even bigger dream scenario could be on the horizon, with Nikola Jokic's future with the Denver Nuggets starting to become a topic of discussion following the franchise's shock decision to fire head coach Mike Malone and GM Calvin Booth on Tuesday.
Nikola Jokic would be an even better fit with the Warriors
The Nuggets responded from the stunning decision on Wednesday night in Sacramento, with Jokic continuing his MVP-calibre season with another triple-double in a 124-116 win over the Kings.
Despite remaining on track for another playoff appearance, the turmoil in Denver has rose speculation of whether Jokic could be on the move. Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports made the case that the 3x MVP should request a trade, pointing to the fact the Nuggets have been unable to surround Jokic with a single All-Star or All-NBA player throughout his 10-year career.
NBA legend Paul Pierce also came out with a bold statement following Malone and Booth's axing, stating "I wouldn’t be shocked if Joker demands a trade this summer" and that Denver are wasting his prime.
If Jokic were ever to become available for trade, it's hard to figure too many teams who wouldn't be interested in adding arguably the best player in the world. There would be teams with more to offer the Nuggets, but equally the Warriors could get at least get in the conversation.
Butler would probably need to be included for salary-matching reasons, while Denver would undoubtedly ask for Brandin Podziemski and the multiple first-round picks Golden State still have at their disposal.
You'd argue that Jokic is an even better fit for the Warriors than Antetokounmpo would be, with his all-time great passing making for a special potential pairing between him and Curry.
The Serbian may also be a better complement for Draymond Green who'd be a slightly awkward fit with Antetokounmpo given the spacing concerns. Jokic meanwhile is an incredible 41.5% from 3-point range this season on nearly five attempts per game, while Green could foreseeably make up for some of his limitations on the defensive end.
Any trade potential will obviously stem from what happens over the next few weeks, with the potential that the Warriors and Nuggets still meet in the postseason amid a tight Western Conference race.