BREAKING: Denver’s Biggest Draft-Day What-If Could’ve Changed the NBA Forever
On the night of the 2017 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets made a move that seemed minor at the time but now lives on as one of the franchise’s greatest “what-if” moments.
With the 13th overall pick, Denver selected Donovan Mitchell — the explosive guard out of Louisville. Minutes later, he was gone. The Nuggets traded Mitchell’s rights to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Trey Lyles and the rights to Tyler Lydon.
The rest, as they say, is history — just not Denver’s.
THE BIG WHAT-IF: A CORE BUILT TO DOMINATE
Now imagine this: a core of Jamal Murray, Donovan Mitchell, and Nikola Jokić — all drafted and developed in-house.
Three stars under 25.
Two elite scoring guards.
One generational passing big man.
The offensive ceiling? Sky-high. With both Mitchell and Murray capable of dropping 30 points on any night, and Jokic running the show with his unmatched playmaking, Denver could’ve been an offensive juggernaut long before their 2023 title run.
Instead of gradually climbing the ranks, this trio may have made deep playoff runs as early as 2019 or 2020 — perhaps even beating the Lakers or the Warriors to the punch.
THE 2021 TURNING POINT
In April 2021, Murray tore his ACL — a devastating blow that altered the course of Denver’s title hopes. That season, the Nuggets lacked a second dynamic creator next to Jokic.
If Mitchell had still been there?
That injury, while still tragic, might not have ended their championship pursuit. With Mitchell’s scoring and shot-creation, Denver might have stayed in contention, giving Jokic a true co-star during his MVP stretch.
MEANWHILE IN UTAH…
Mitchell blossomed into a perennial All-Star in Utah, carrying the Jazz through multiple playoff runs and even posting historic scoring nights. Denver, meanwhile, continued to build slowly, relying heavily on Jokic’s brilliance and the development of Murray and Michael Porter Jr.
Eventually, it worked. The Nuggets won the NBA title in 2023 — a validation of their patience and vision.
But still…
THE ALTERNATE TIMELINE
A trio of Jokic–Murray–Mitchell is the kind of team that changes legacies — and maybe even rewrites NBA history.
Would they have stopped the Warriors’ dynasty sooner?
Would LeBron’s Lakers have been dethroned earlier?
Would Jokic already have multiple rings?
We'll never know.
What we do know is that on one June night in 2017, the Nuggets held the future of the franchise in their hands — and traded it away for a pair of role players who never made a lasting impact.
Denver ultimately found its way to the top.
But the vision of Donovan Mitchell in Mile High blue and gold?
That remains one of the wildest, most tantalizing alternate timelines in recent NBA memory.
Sometimes, the biggest moves are the ones you undo.