There is a big decision looming at the 26th pick.
The Denver Nuggets went 54-28 this past season and looked like serious contenders heading into the playoffs, then the Minnesota Timberwolves knocked them out in six games and suddenly everything about this roster feels like it needs a hard look.
Denver has not made it past the second round since winning it all in 2023, and with Jokic now 31 and Jamal Murray about to turn 30, the window is getting tighter.
That puts extra pressure on the 2026 NBA Draft, where the Nuggets hold the No. 26 overall pick.
Several mock drafts have linked them to wings who can help right away, but one name that keeps surfacing in late first-round talks is Luigi Suigo, a 19-year-old Italian center out of Mega Superbet in Serbia.
Why Suigo Makes Sense
Suigo measured just under 7-foot-3 barefoot at the NBA Draft Combine, weighing in at 289 pounds with a 7-foot-5 wingspan and a 9-foot-6 standing reach.
Those numbers put him in rare company.
He averaged 8.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game this season while shooting 56.4 percent from the field, and he showed some ability to stretch the floor with 18 made threes across 16 games.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman has described him as a big physical player with modern skills like shot-making and passing feel, the type of profile that turns heads late in the first round.
The Mega Superbet pipeline matters too, since that same program produced Jokic along with NBA players like Ivica Zubac and Nikola Jovic.
Drafting a cost-controlled center who could step into a bigger role once Jokic's run winds down would be a forward-looking move for a front office that needs to plan ahead.
Multiple mock drafts have placed Suigo in the 17-to-30 range, making him a realistic option at 26, and some evaluators have labeled him a potential "Italian Wemby" based on his freakish size and growing skill set.
Why It Might Not Add Up
As nice as that long-term picture sounds, Denver does not really have the luxury of playing the waiting game right now.
The Nuggets' championship window is getting smaller, and after getting bounced in the first round, the front office needs guys who can help immediately.
Suigo is still very raw.
Even the best scouting reports admit he could be years away from real NBA minutes, and he is not quick or good at creating his own offense.
Denver's bigger problem this summer is wing depth, particularly with Peyton Watson likely headed for free agency and the roster already stretched thin financially.
The Nuggets have plenty of questions to answer heading into this offseason, and rolling the dice on an overseas big man with sky-high upside but a steep learning curve at pick 26 would be a bold swing.
Whether that gamble would pay off is the question Denver will wrestle with heading into draft night.
