The Atlanta Hawks are in the market for a center, with recent reports linking them to veteran and rookie options alike. Whether or not they will come away with one remains to be seen. But they would be wise to keep their powder dry following the latest word on Nikola Jokic.
Jokic, a seven-time All-NBA and All-Star selection, three-time MVP, and one-time NBA champion, turned 30 in February, but he is firmly in a prime that could run another half-decade.
Moreover, Denver Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke left the door open for the idea of a Jokic trade.
Of course, it would take a “nightmare scenario” in Kroenke’s estimation, in which an injury to the “wrong person” would make them have to consider trading Jokic, given the current ramifications of the second luxury tax apron.
Kroenke has some wiggle room before having to worry about his doomsday scenario. Denver is more than $3 million over the first apron but $10-plus million below the second, per Spotrac.
Still, for a Hawks team linked to options like Myles Turner, Jokic is a unique alternative.
His impact is greater than Turner’s, whose defense and floor spacing would be an ideal complement to four-time All-Star point guard and offensive dynamo Trae Young. Jokic would not add the rim protection Turner would, and he has sometimes been called out for his defense.
His offensive prowess is so special that he should be atop the Hawks’ wishlist of prospective targets under new general manager Onsi Saleh.
Of the fits that may be clunkier than is ideal, Jokic would be perfect for the Hawks.
“I think that for us as an organization, going into that second apron is not necessarily something that we’re scared of. I think that there are rules around it that we need to be very careful of with our injury history. The wrong person gets injured, and very quickly, you’re into a scenario that I never want to have to contemplate, and that’s trading No. 15,” Kroenke told reporters on June 24.
“We’re very conscious of that pushing forward, and providing the resources that we can when the moment arrives. But that second apron, is it a hard cap? I’m not 100% sure, but it's something that teams are, obviously, very aware of going forward.”
The idea of the Nuggets actually trading Jokic is as far fetched after Kroenke’s comments as it was before. However, his mere mention of trading Jokic perked up ears around the NBA, including among the Hawks faithful.
The Hawks have Onyeka Okongwu, and they are positioned to add another center this offseason. However that happens, they should maintain as much flexibility as possible.
Hawks an unlikely but not impossible trade destination for Nikola Jokic
The Nuggets have navigated injuries to their three best players behind Jokic – Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. – at differing times in recent seasons.
They have also failed to recapture the same threat level they had during their title run in 2023, something the Hawks experienced while trying to follow up their run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.
They traded for Dejounte Murray in 2022.
They decided to rectify that decision last offseason, sending him to the New Orleans Pelicans and now stand in a position of power heading into this summer.