After winning the 2023 NBA Championship, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets fell far short of preseason expectations in 2024, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs. The offseason has been a mixed bag for the Nuggets so far, with the team losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope but signing Russell Westbrook. But it seems Denver has another potential backcourt player in mind.

While Jamal Murray has firmly established himself as the team’s starting point guard, the question for the Nuggets is still who can fill the always valuable bench minutes at the two guard positions. Westbrook, a former league MVP who developed into an energetic reserve leader with the Los Angeles Clippers, could very well fill that same role, although the Nuggets are reportedly interested in signing a player who has a strong connection to Jokic.

Vasilije Micic, currently with the Charlotte Hornets, recently won an Olympic bronze medal alongside Jokic as part of the Serbian national team and Micic could be an interesting option for the Nuggets. Micic and Jokic played together at Mega, a club in Belgrade, from 2012 to 2014 before Micic moved to Bayern Munich. Jokic left the club a year later to join the Nuggets.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Nuggets could be a destination for Micic, although Denver may not make the move due to salary reasons.

“With a salary of $7.7 million this season and an $8.1 million team option in 2025-26, Vasilije Micić continues to be mentioned as a potential transfer target for Denver, given Micic’s close relationship with Nuggets star Nikola Jokić,” Stein reported. “Keep in mind, though, that Denver is only about $5 million away from the second luxury tax and thus could not take on Micić’s contract without dreaded second-tax complications. The Hornets could also opt to keep Micić to play behind former All-Star LaMelo Ball.”

The MVP roots of Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets and Vasilije Micic of the Hornets

In addition to their shared background, Nikola Jokic and Vasilije Micic are also both former MVPs; Jokic won the NBA MVP three times, while Micic won the 2021 EuroLeague MVP as well as the 2021 and 2022 Final Four MVP, leading Anadolu Efes to two consecutive titles.

Micic, then 29, decided to move to the NBA in the 2023 offseason, signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder, to whom the Philadelphia 76ers sold his draft rights. Despite signing a three-year contract worth more than $23 million, Micic played little for the Thunder, who surprisingly became one of the top teams in the Western Conference.

After averaging just 12.0 minutes per game in Oklahoma City, Micic was traded to Charlotte, where he began to prove his value to an NBA team. With the Hornets, Micic took over a starting position in LaMelo Ball’s absence and averaged 10.8 points and 6.2 assists in 27.2 minutes per game.

Micic shined again at the Olympics, where he was Serbia’s third-leading scorer (behind Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic) and averaged the second-most assists (behind Jokic). Serbia presented the USA with the toughest challenge of the tournament, nearly defeating the Americans in the semifinals, a game in which Micic was below average (8 points, 3 assists, 3/10 FG, 2/7 3PT). However, Micic was at his best in the bronze medal game against Germany, scoring 19 points, the same as Jokic, who finished the tournament with a triple-double.

Micic has one guaranteed year left on his contract with the Hornets, who can choose to exercise a club option in 2025.