The Los Angeles Lakers must always be considered among teams willing to make earth-shattering moves in the service of winning basketball games. Therefore, the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic must always be trade watch, especially now that the Denver Nuggets have fired their head coach, Mike Malone.
Perhaps that is when Bovada updated their Jokic new team odds, putting the Lakers at the top.
Los Angeles Lakers Given +500 To Land Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic is once again firmly in the conversation for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, engaging in a compelling late-season contest with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For the Denver Nuggets, the 30-year-old center has been delivering an exceptional all-around performance, currently averaging an impressive 30.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game across 67 appearances this season (per StatMuse).
These remarkable statistics place him in elite company, with the potential to join the legendary Oscar Robertson (who achieved the feat in the 1961-62 season) and Russell Westbrook (who averaged a triple-double in four separate seasons: 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2020-21) as the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season.
Jokic further underscored his dominance in a recent matchup against the Indiana Pacers, where he recorded a spectacular stat line of 41 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists in a narrow 125-120 loss (per ESPN).
Despite Jokic’s individual brilliance, the Nuggets currently hold a 47-32 record, positioning them as the fourth seed in a tightly contested Western Conference playoff race. Many analysts believe that Jokic’s MVP case would be significantly strengthened if Denver were able to climb the standings and secure a top seed as the regular season concludes.
The narrative of team success often plays a crucial role in the MVP voting process, and leading a team to a high seed in a competitive conference would undoubtedly bolster Jokic’s candidacy for his fourth career MVP trophy.