On Tuesday, Denver Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke raised some eyebrows by insinuating that if things get bad enough down the line, the team may consider trading Nikola Jokic. The unprompted comment drew a wide range of criticism from Nuggets fans, who do not want to follow in the footsteps of the Dallas Mavericks in terms of trading their franchise superstar.

Recently, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania stopped by the Pat McAfee Show and, thankfully for Denver fans, put those rumors to bed.

“I know personally that Josh Kroenke would never consider or want to trade Nikola Jokic.. People around Denver know that and Jokic doesn't want to be traded,” said Charania.

It still remains unknown why Kroenke even floated the trade as a possibility given that the media present at the press conference didn't ask him about the doomsday scenario.

A crucial summer for the Nuggets

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts towards referee Sean Wright (4) after a play in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game four of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena.
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While the Nuggets may not have any plans to trade their best player in franchise history, it's not difficult to envision Jokic putting some pressure on the front office over the coming months if the team is unable to put an adequate roster around him.

Jamal Murray's play has dipped considerably since his epic run during the 2023 NBA playoffs, and the Nuggets have also seen multiple crucial pieces from that championship core walk out the door in free agency over the last two summers.

While Christian Braun and Peyton Watson have shown some promising signs of forming a new, younger foundation around Jokic, their improvement wasn't enough to help propel the Nuggets past the eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in this year's playoffs.

The pressure is now on the Nuggets' brass to figure out a way to put the right pieces around Jokic so that they don't waste any more of the best player in the NBA's prime.

Whether that's through free agency or trades in the coming weeks, Jokic and fans alike are probably hoping that the Nuggets look considerably different by the time next season rolls around.