According to Marc Stein, insider for The Stein Line, the Denver Nuggets are interested in signing Charlotte Hornets point guard Vasilije Micic.

How the Nuggets can sign Vasilije Micic for Nikola Jokic

The 30-year-old veteran may not be as close to Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic as is claimed. However, the two have mutual respect for the way they represent their home country. Since the two also play regularly on the Serbian national team, there is also a certain familiarity between them. Most recently, Jokic has submitted a request to Denver to sign Micic to the Nuggets in 2022, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.

“I can’t say I’m that close friends with Nikola (Jokic) because he lives in his own world,” Micic said, according to BasketNews. He is, above all, a unique person. He is such a humble guy and I can’t understand how he manages it, how he handles the attention he gets because he is the best player in the world.

He makes such a small country like Serbia so famous and I just try to support his achievements from the shadows and make it even bigger.”

These factors will play a large role in how hard Denver pursues Micic. However, there is one major obstacle for the Nuggets: their options for getting him are limited.

What would a trade look like?

Micic is scheduled to make $7.7 million next season, so Denver may have to trade Zeke Nnaji to match salaries. Nnaji is scheduled to make $8.9 million in 2024-25.

This isn’t a problem for the Nuggets in the sense that they’re trading away a very valuable player. Although Nnaji came to the NBA with the expectation of being an impact player in Denver, he’s not even a regular rotation player. However, unless the Nuggets believe the 23-year-old can take off in Charlotte, he’s not a very attractive trade item.

Russell Westbrook goes crazy

The most viable option is to trade Russell Westbrook, Jalen Pickett and DaRon Holmes for Micic. In that scenario, they could potentially get a draft pick for Holmes. Although he will miss his entire rookie season due to injury, he looked like a solid role player beforehand.

Either way, Westbrook is the headliner. But not just because he’s a high-caliber player. Westbrook could be a spot starter if LaMelo Ball gets injured again, or show leadership qualities as a backup. After averaging 11.1 points, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game in the 2023-24 season, the high-caliber lead guard finished seventh in the Sixth Man of the Year voting. He’s still a valuable commodity, even if he’s no longer in MVP form.

Micic is a former EuroLeague MVP, and his experience and track record speak for themselves, too. After all, he averaged 10.8 points and 6.2 assists per game last season after joining the Hornets. Still, it’s hard to imagine the largely American roster heeding Westbrook’s words any more closely.

Still, he can’t be traded until December 15th because he joined the Nuggets as a free agent. In other words, Denver won’t trade for Micic this offseason if they have to go that route.