The ongoing, yearly ritual of Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic’s relationship being on display was one of the main narratives of this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend. Many have wondered whether the two NBA stars will ever play together. If yes, which team—the Dallas Mavericks or the Denver Nuggets? 

Jokic was questioned on the prоspect of joining forces with Doncic. The superstar player for the Nuggets responded to the question in Serbian, implying that he has no intention of moving away from Denver but rather extending an invitation to Doncic. 

“I’m not sure whether it’s feasible. In an English translation, Jokic said, “I don’t want to leave Denver.” “This place is nice, and the organization is excellent. Luka is free to go if he becomes enraged in Dallas.”

Jokic’s viewpoints are all predictable. With the only team he has ever played for, he just finished an NBA Finals run that was quite successful. He has already won two MVP awards, and he is in a strong position to repeat as a winner. He doesn’t need to consider leaving the Mile High City. 

Conversely, Doncic just finished a season with the Mavs that resulted in a 38-44 record, missing out on the play-in tournament. Still, Dallas is a very optimistic city. Since acquiring Kyrie Irving last season, the club has strengthened its bench by dealing for P.J. Washingtоn and Daniel Gafford and selecting Dereck Lively II. Derrick Jones Jr. and Dante Exum, two low-rιsk additions, have also added a great deal of value. 

In the midst of a lackluster January, before the Mavs had executed any of their trade strategies, Doncic expressed confidence in the Mavs’ potential to challenge for a championship, which continues to be his primary priority – above the MVP. 

In a one-on-one interview with Ekipa24 in January, Doncic expressed his confidence in winning a title in Dallas. The injuries that the club had to cope with involving Irving, Lively, and himself—the group he referred to as the “Big 3″—were something he stressed was crucial to remember. 

Doncic said in an English-to-Slovenian translation, “I’m not saying people aren’t taking into account all of our ιnjury problems this season, but maybe not enough of them.” There was always someone missing, and there was always someone significant missing; it was a real ιnjury catastrophe. We are now, in my perspective, even closer to being in excellent form and quite healthy. In particular, our “Big 3,” as we like to call them, haven’t really played together much in games or even in practise. Even though the second half of the regular season has already begun, we still need to get acclimated to it.”

Doncic emphasized the necessity for the Mavs to be more physically аggressive, pointing out that opponents often use far more aggressiveness against them when it should be the other way around. 

“As for what we lack and what we should do, it is clear that we should play much more physically,” Doncic said. “In fact, everyone opposes us physically much more often than we do. We must alter that.”

In January, Mavs coach Jason Kidd even predicted that Doncic, who was averaging 34.2 points, 9.5 assists, and 8.8 rebounds, will win many titles throughout his NBA career in an interview with 97.1 The Freak. 

“This young man is 24 and is breаking all the records that stand in front of him,” Kidd said. “He is a winner, and winning a title is his ultimate objective. And after everything is said and done, he will reach that point and win numerous times instead of just one.”

Kidd even went so far as to suggest that Doncic is already “better” than Dirk Nowitzki, but in order for him to finally win a championship, the emphasis has to be on surrounding him with the proper players. 

“He is superior than Dirk, I’ve told myself. He does things that Dirk could never accomplish, and he now has the chance to surround himself with the proper people in order to finally win a championship,” Kidd said.

The Mavs had the longest current winning run going into the All-Star break, tied with the Boston Celtics, after winning six straight games. Dallas is just one game behind the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference standings with a 32-23 record, enough for seventh place. 

Doncic’s departure from the Mavs would involve difficult logistics. He may reject his player option for the 2026–2027 season, which is valued at less than $49 million, but doing so would meаn he would be passing up the chance to sign a potential $318 million, five-year supermax deal extension. He has the potential to become the highest-paid player in the NBA and the first to make more than $70 million a year.