Nuggets president Josh Kroenke remembers that meeting like it was yesterday. It was a request more than a demand, and it was beneficial to both parties: The Nuggets wouldn't be left with the kind of hole James had left in Cleveland, and Anthony could sign a five-year maximum extension with the Knicks. So much of the next decade in NBA history traces back to that event, whether it be small-market teams trying to protect themselves from losing a star of James' magnitude in free agency or other teams trying to construct a superteam of their own.įor the Denver Nuggets, though, the summer of 2010 was the year their own star, Carmelo Anthony, told them he didn't intend to re-sign when his contract was up the next summer and wanted to be traded to the New York Knicks. How the Nuggets cultivated the NBA's most dynamic duoĭENVER - The summer of 2010 in the NBA is generally remembered as the year LeBron James left the small-market Cleveland Cavaliers to form a superteam in Miami with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Still, in hindsight, the Raptors probably should have done things differently.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser Even Denver had no idea he would be one-third this good when they made the pick. It’s hard to beat up executives for missing on second-round picks, so Masai Ujiri doesn’t deserve any scorn for this selection. Would the trade for Marc Gasol even have happened? Adding Jokic onto that team makes for one of the more interesting “what-if” situations across the annals of Raptors history. Imagine Jokic, Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, and Pascal Siakam all sharing the floor for heavy minutes in 2019. It goes without saying that having Jokic would have been a godsend for the Raptors in the last few seasons due to his unique style. Jokic, meanwhile, won the MVP twice in consecutive seasons and has helped the Nuggets reach new heights in his third campaign. He spent a few more seasons playing in Europe and Australia. Following his return to Toronto, a combination of foot injuries, the team’s depth, and his own performance prevented him from ever playing one minute for Toronto. The Toronto Raptors almost drafted Nikola Jokic.Īfter getting drafted, Daniels spent the 2014-15 season in Australia. He ended up playing as many games in the NBA as you and I have. 37 pick on the 2014 draft on UConn wing DeAndre Daniels. Ratner than taking Jokic, or even a solid starter in this league like Jerami Grant or Spencer Dinwiddie, the Raptors decided to use the No. The Raptors number among those teams, with the player they chose instead of Jokic still stinging this franchise to this day. Even the Nuggets themselves passed on him, swinging a trade for Nikola Jokic rather than picking him higher. Jokic is fast becoming the greatest second-round pick in NBA history, making teams curse the day they passed on acquiring him. Famously, Jokic was picked so late that ESPN was in a commercial break and showing an ad for Taco Bell. Before he was nearly averaging a triple-double and breaking records once held by Wilt Chamberlain, Jokic was picked 41st overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. Jokic remains one of the more improbable success stories in the NBA. While Toronto looks to reboot its roster and try to compete with a new head coach, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets have made the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. The Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets are two franchises trending in two different directions right now.
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