Early this season there were Nuggets staffers that told reporters that everyone in the organization is disappointed in Nurkic, because they asked him to lose weight over last summer and he didn't comply. He went full crybaby mode when it was clear last season that Jokic was the superior prospect and that he'd be stuck behind him if he didn't transform himself in a way that made him compatible to Jokic. If he was intentionally forcing Denver's hand and tanking his trade value, then good for him. I'll evaluate the trade once he's there for a while.
Comparing the trade based on 1 head to head matchup is pretty stupid as well. If the emotional Bosnian bear can be assed for 1 game against his former team against which he holds a grudge, this doesn't mean he's always gonna be that way.
His game splits are already infected by a high variance despite him being extra motivated to prove doubters wrong.
Now we'll do another thought experiment. What if Denver misses the playoffs because they handed Portland Nurkic. If Jokic now loses a babytooth the night before the lottery, putts it below his pillow and Denver proceeds to win a top3 pick, isn't Denver the automatic winner of the trade because a top3 pick in this draft is probably gonna be a better player than either Plumlee, Nurkic and Memphis' #20 pick?
Patience young Jedi.
Even if they don't win and get a #13-14 pick instead of the #18 pick. It's possible that this difference in this deep draft can also make a difference between getting the guy whose upside you like and selecting from leftovers. There are more variables to consider to evaluate this trade down the road.
Comparing the trade based on 1 head to head matchup is pretty stupid as well. If the emotional Bosnian bear can be assed for 1 game against his former team against which he holds a grudge, this doesn't mean he's always gonna be that way.
His game splits are already infected by a high variance despite him being extra motivated to prove doubters wrong.
Now we'll do another thought experiment. What if Denver misses the playoffs because they handed Portland Nurkic. If Jokic now loses a babytooth the night before the lottery, putts it below his pillow and Denver proceeds to win a top3 pick, isn't Denver the automatic winner of the trade because a top3 pick in this draft is probably gonna be a better player than either Plumlee, Nurkic and Memphis' #20 pick?
Patience young Jedi.
Even if they don't win and get a #13-14 pick instead of the #18 pick. It's possible that this difference in this deep draft can also make a difference between getting the guy whose upside you like and selecting from leftovers. There are more variables to consider to evaluate this trade down the road.
