If Jokić gets traded the Toronto Raptors are a perfect match

The Toronto Raptors have been searching for a reliable NBA All-Star-calibre player at centre for several years, and this season could finally present them with an opportunity to pursue one.

Hold on. It may sound like a fever dream, but three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić is entering the final controlled year of his five-year, $276 million deal with the Denver Nuggets.

The 31-year-old, 6-foot-11 centre has a player option for the 2027-28 season, meaning he could potentially be on the move ahead of this season's NBA trade deadline if the Nuggets find themselves out of playoff contention.

Denver won an NBA title with Jokić in 2023, but has been unable to reach the Finals since. The team's most recent playoff run was most disappointing, losing in six games to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

The three-time NBA MVP and 2023 NBA Finals MVP could be a player moved at the trade deadline this season. (Bob Frid/Imagn Images)

If Denver believes Jokić could decline his player option and test free agency, the Nuggets could have plenty of incentive to explore a trade rather than risk losing their superstar without getting anything in return.

And if he were available, the fit in Toronto couldn't be better.

Jokić has averaged a triple-double the past two seasons and led the NBA in rebounds — an area where the Raptors have notoriously struggled.

Last season, Toronto ranked 24th of the 30 NBA teams when it came to rebounds, averaging 42.1 per game. Jokić averaged 12.9 rebounds by himself while helping Denver rank among the league's best rebounding teams.

There's also a Serbian connection between Jokić and Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković, who previously coached the NBA superstar with the Serbian national team.

Nikola Jokić & Toronto are a match made in heaven. The only Serbian head coach in the NBA and a young booming roster of defensively slanted, selfless high IQ players. https://t.co/R62G1L18Ve

— Pensare Basketball (@PensareBBall) September 2, 2026

Rajaković has repeatedly called Jokić the best player Serbia has ever produced and one of the best passing centres in basketball history. Plus, the two are also reportedly close off the court.

"As great a player as he is, and he is fantastic, he is an even better person," Rajaković said in a recent interview with Serbian outlet Kole Point.

"He belongs in that category of players where there is simply no way to stop them. Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama and LeBron James are in that category."

Whenever the Raptors visit Denver or the Nuggets come to Toronto, Rajaković and Jokić apparently make time for each other to catch up over dinner.

Of course, the fit in getting Jokić to Toronto matters, but so do the numbers, and the Raptors would need to find a way to absorb his massive contract; a trade would almost certainly require a significant package of players and draft picks.

Toronto would potentially have to part with someone such as Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley or RJ Barrett, along with multiple first-round picks, to make the money and trade value work.

To play devil's advocate as well, a lot of dominoes would have to fall this season for Jokić to be dealt.

Denver would have to fall out of contention, and the Nuggets would have to decide to move on from one of the NBA's biggest stars in the prime of his career, plus Jokić would have to be willing to leave.

Still, if the Nuggets stumble out of the playoff picture, it'll be a situation the Raptors will surely monitor.