Should Nikola Jokic demand a trade this offseason?

The NBA playoffs are less than two weeks away. This is the time of the season when contending teams are making a push for playoff seeding or even resting their key contributors. However, the Denver Nuggets decided to shake things up in a drastic way by firing their long-time head coach, Mike Malone, who won the franchise's first championship in 2023. 

The Nuggets did not stop there, as they also fired general manager Calvin Booth. The Nuggets are in turmoil, and with the playoffs still in the horizon, the only question on a lot of people's minds is if Nikola Jokic will request a trade this offseason. 

Malone was the only head coach Jokic has known in the NBA. He believed in the young kid from Serbia. They won together, and they lost together. Now he has to start fresh with a new head coach and third GM. 

Jokic is putting up some of the best stat lines you will ever see, including a 60-point triple-double recently. Unfortunately, that effort came in a loss, along with some others where the three-time MVP had historical nights. 

Since the Nuggets won the championship a couple of years ago, the roster has gotten worse by the season, and it is reaching the boiling point right now. They lost Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in consecutive offseasons. Their draft picks outside of Christian Braun have not hit their stride. Lastly, the front office has made some head-scratching moves, such as giving Reggie Jackson (later traded in a salary dump) and Dario Saric two-year contracts. 

The Nuggets' starting core has also dealt with injuries outside of Jokic. Jamal Murray is on the shelf once again heading into the playoffs. Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon are both in and out of the lineup. 

On the surface, you see the Nuggets have 47 wins, while Jokic is averaging a 30-point triple-double. However, this is an all-time player who has had two years wasted due to poor management and his head coach bickering with the front office. 

This has led to several people wondering about a potential trade request, despite that not being Jokic's nature.