Denver Nuggets fans are likely still in shock after they fired coach Mike Malone and GM Calvin Booth at the worst possible time. It's no secret that Malone and Booth didn't like each other, which made for an awkward situation.
What few suspected was that they both would be ousted at the same time. Malone especially, since he is a former Coach of the Year winner and led the Denver Nuggets to their first and only championship back in 2023.
The Nuggets' firing of their head coach and general manager in the final week of the final regular season has led to questions about their future. Denver is essentially locked into their core and has little means to improve, having already traded most of their draft picks save for the 2031 first.
With no long-term coach and GM in place and the Nuggets seemingly falling behind other teams in the Western Conference, they could decide to dramatically reshape their roster this summer. While Nikola Jokic will likely be untouchable, the same was originally thought of former Dallas Mavericks star, Luka Doncic.
He is currently a member of the Los Angeles Lakers after he was abruptly traded midseason. That temporarily ended the possibility of a Doncic-Jokic pairing with them being a dream duo given their potential fit and being close friends. However, a viral trade proposal would change that.
Yes or No? pic.twitter.com/UuYgKPLKZ7
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) April 8, 2025
A viral tweet has Nikola Jokic joining the Los Angeles Lakers in a Nuggets fire sale
The viral proposed trade would send Jokic to the Lakers in exchange for Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dalton Knecht, their 2031 first-round pick, and a 2028 pick swap.
That would be a wild trade, one that is almost certainly never going to happen. However, the odds of the Nuggets being willing to move players such as Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and even Jamal Murray appear much higher.
Jokic will be untouchable unless he demands a trade. It's hard to imagine that happening, but the Nuggets have really dug themselves into a hole. Murray's contract likely makes him difficult to trade. Porter Jr. is tradeable, but he might not net them what they need to retool around Jokic. Lastly, Gordon may only be valuable to playoff teams given his skill set, limiting the potential return for him.
Ultimately, with the Nuggets firing Malone and Booth, anything seems possible as far as roster movers. However, Lakers fans may be delusional to believe that Jokic would one day wear gold and purple. If he does become available in the near future, he'd command a historic haul that the Lakers probably couldn't match. Therefore, Jokic will probably be a Nugget for the foreseeable future.