According to Marc Stein, the Denver Nuggets have some interest in Serbian point guard Vasilije Micić, a longtime national teammate of superstar Nikola Jokić.

The interest makes sense, not only because of the Serbian connection between Jokić and Micić, but also because of the recent losses of Bruce Brown in the summer of 2023 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope earlier this summer.

While the Nuggets have made good use of their draft picks over the past few years, most of those players will be a few years away, and their recent signing of Russell Westbrook is optimistic at best.

Currently playing for the Charlotte Hornets, Micić is a talented and experienced point guard with considerable size (1.95 m) who has won two consecutive Euroleague championships and also earned several MVP awards.

Last season, his first in the NBA, he played 60 games and averaged 7.0 points and 4.4 assists in 19.6 minutes, splitting time between the Hornets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, with whom he began the year.

At 30 years old, it’s fair to wonder if he makes sense for the Hornets, given where the team is at in terms of time and the fact that most of the players on their roster are young and nowhere near competitive at this point.

A move to Denver would immediately put Micić in a top position. Not only would he mesh well with Jokić due to their shared history, but he would also increase Denver’s backcourt depth.

The presence of Micić would also allow Jamal Murray to switch to the shooting guard position more often, where he would have more room to score.

Micić is making just over $7.7 million this season, but the Nuggets could get him over the contract of Zeke Nnaji, who makes $8.8 million. Because the Nuggets play above the major leagues, they cannot pool salaries, meaning it simply isn’t feasible to combine many of their young players.

Nnaji has played two straight seasons in which his otherwise steady shooting performance has declined, meaning the Hornets will likely require draft compensation to pull off the aforementioned deal. Denver’s situation in this regard is unclear due to previous trades.

The Nuggets owe first-round picks to the Magic and Thunder, with the Orlando component expected to be resolved next year, 2025. Denver should be free of its obligations to Oklahoma City by 2027, but so far that is only theoretical.

What makes matters even more complicated is the fact that Denver essentially gave up all of its available second-round picks that could have been used to adjust value.

Still, all hope is not lost. Denver could theoretically trade some of its young players and collect less salary and draft compensation, which could then go to Micić.

It won’t be easy, but it could be worth it for the Nuggets, who couldn’t find a better solution for their superstar in the NBA atmosphere.

Unless otherwise stated, all statistics on NBA.com, PBPStatistics, Cleaning the glass or Basketball ReferenceAll salary information about Spotrac. All quotes courtesy of FanDuel Sports Betting.