Nikola Jokic spent time the last several days with two different Serbian NBA players who could be options for the Denver Nuggets to add this offseason.
The fact that Jokic spent time with his countrymen in the run-up to the Olympics should not be a hint that there’s smoke here. In fact, unlike other star players like LeBron James who seems to manipulate everything about the organization he plays for, there’s never been any indication that Jokic even has an interest in influencing how Denver’s roster is built. It just so happens that two of the three-time MVP’s buddies might be perfect fits for what the Nuggets are looking at gaining this summer.
Jokic was at the horse track with Atlanta Hawks wing Bogdan Bogdanovic and was partying with Houston Rockets center Boban Marjanovic.
Marjanovic isn’t on the Serbian national roster this time around for the Olympics but Bogdanovic, Charlotte Hornets guard Vasilije Micic and Jokic should make up the core of the team as they look to build off of silver in last summer’s World Cup.
The 7-foot-4 Marjanovic is a free agent and will be entering his age 36 season. He’s not quite good enough anymore to be the primary backup center for a contender but Marjanovic could play a very similar role for the Nuggets that DeAndre Jordan has in the past few years. Marjanovic only played 14 games last year, and he’s been left on the bench most of his career. Still, he’s played in 331 NBA games across nine seasons and has had 30-point and 20-rebound games at times in his career. And like Jordan, who is one of the most respected players in the league, Marjanovic is a friend to all and famously Tobias Harris. In fact, Marjanovic is so affable that he played a villain to John Wick in the action movie franchise.
The bigger move no doubt would be the addition of the shooting guard and small forward Bogdanovic. But Bogdanovic is not a free agent, he has two years and a club option left on his initial four-year $68 million deal that he signed about 15 months ago. Still, the Hawks are expected to have a busy offseason since they hold the No. 1 pick in next week’s NBA Draft and two-star guards who don’t align well. For the Nuggets to swoop in though would almost require them to lose one of the members of their starting five, be it Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency or a surprise deal involving somebody else.
About to be 32 years old, the 6-foot-5 Bogdanovic has twice gotten Sixth Man of the Year votes in the last two seasons. After three seasons with the Kings and four with the Hawks, he’s averaging 14.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1 steal per game on 38% shooting from three while being a decent enough defender.
Bogdanovic would be a great addition to the Nuggets as he’s a great player, but if the addition of him means losing another of the four around Jokic—would it really be worth it? Adding Marjanovic might be more fun and less harmful to the bigger picture but as we saw just a few months ago, Michael Malone needs more playable bench pieces than he had against the Wolves.
