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NBA rumors: LeBron James-Nikola Jokic team-up floated as Nuggets offseason option
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- NBA rumors: LeBron James-Nikola Jokic team-up floated as Nuggets offseason option
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Could LeBron James and Nikola Jokic actually be teammates at some point in the near future? Possibly, according to multiple sources who spoke to ESPN.
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Much has been made about James' impending free agency, and speculation has been rampant that, after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers , he will sign with a new team in the offseason for his 24th and, potentially, final NBA season. And the Denver Nuggets could be a plausible landing spot for 'the King'.
"One intriguing option floated to ESPN by multiple sources was Denver, where teaming up with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic would make for some awfully entertaining hoops," Dave McMenamin and Tim Bontemps wrote.
"'Who is the only guy on [James'] level from a basketball IQ standpoint in the league?' a West executive asked. 'Go there and team up with that guy.'"
One of the big sticking points for the Nuggets, or any other interested team for that matter, would likely be James' salary demands. Although James remains a highly reliable starter for the Lakers, for whom he is averaging 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists in 34 minutes per game, at age 41, he is the oldest player in the NBA and has had to miss 21 games this season due to injury and rest, which could make Denver hesitant and/or unable to offer him as much as he may want.
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Still, if James and Jokic, who have seven NBA MVPs between them, are committed to joining forces this summer, McMenamin and Tim Bontemps said Denver could execute a sign-and-trade that would send James to the Nuggets and Cam Johnson or Peyton Watson back to the Lakers. Johnson, who is shooting 43% from 3-point range this season, would be a particularly intriguing complement to the Luka Doncic-Austin Reaves backcourt around which Los Angeles appears to be building.
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