Rumors of shocking blockbuster trade to unite Luka Doncic with Nikola Jokic surface

One of the best draft night moves in Dallas Mavericks history was in 2018 when Dallas traded up from the No. 5 pick to the No. 3 pick to select Luka Doncic. Dallas only gave up one future first-round pick as part of this deal with the Atlanta Hawks, and Doncic has become the franchise cornerstone that the Mavs desperately needed as Dirk Nowitzki's career was practically over when they drafted Doncic.

In Doncic's first six seasons in the NBA, he helped the Mavs reach the Western Conference Finals twice, the NBA Finals once and has been in the top five for MVP voting three times. Last season, Doncic came in third in MVP voting, and although a valid case can be made that he deserved the award over Nikola Jokic, Doncic's main focus remains winning the NBA Finals.

Despite Doncic falling short of winning MVP and the Finals last season, he was probably happy for Jokic, who happens to be a close friend of his. Fans always speculate about these two superstars teaming up one day due to their great friendship and similar roots, and a recent rumor indicates that there was a trade on the table to get Jokic and Doncic on the same team.

Proposed Doncic trade would have changed everything for him and Mavs

According to former Denver Post reporter Mike Singer in an appearance on "The Hoop Collective," the Denver Nuggets tried to up to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft to select Doncic. This trade package offered to the Sacramento Kings by the Nuggets included Gary Harris and two first-round picks, but the Kings didn't bite and ended up drafting Marvin Bagley III.

Denver knew that Sacramento wasn't high on Doncic, and they wanted to trade up to this spot with the plan to unite Doncic and Jokic. Thankfully, if you're the Mavericks, this trade never happened and Doncic has been the head of the snake for Dallas ever since he was drafted.

Doncic in Denver would have formed one of the greatest duos this league has ever seen alongside Jokic, and the Mavs organization would look completely different today if they didn't get to draft him. His dominance and leap to becoming one of the greatest players in the NBA after just one season was unbelievable, and he has turned Dallas into one of the most consistent teams in the Western Conference year in and year out. This was not the case before Dallas drafted him, and his presence helped give the Mavs a new sense of direction.

Despite all of the flack that Doncic is getting from around the NBA this season, he remains one of the most dominant offensive players this league has ever seen when he is at his best, and all Mavs fans should be grateful that he is a Maverick.

This trade that was on the table between Denver and Sacramento would have changed everything for Dallas if it happened to go through. They would have never had the chance to draft Doncic, and without him, who knows where the Mavs would be right now?

He has become the face of Dallas sports over the last six and a half years, and his presence alone makes the Mavs a tough out regardless of who they match up against.