After the Denver Nuggets took the OKC Thunder to seven games in their semifinals showdown this past postseason, many were already convinced they were the biggest threat to the NBA Champions' quest for a repeat in 2025-26.
Considering the slew of savvy moves and roster additions they made this summer, at this point, such a stance should now be viewed as virtually inarguable, as they have already upgraded several areas of weakness within their rotation with the acquisitions of Cameron Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas.
However, based on recently surfaced images, some are speculating that this Nuggets club could become far more menacing than it currently is in the not-too-distant future.
LeBron James-Nuggets speculation should worry OKC Thunder
All throughout the summer, there has been a considerable amount of attention drawn to the future of sure-fire Hall of Famer LeBron James and his playing career.
Despite being 40 years old, the forward still finds himself producing at an MVP-worthy and All-NBA level, as he's coming off a 2024-25 campaign where he dropped sensational, all-around averages of 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from deep.
By all accounts, the plan is for James to continue into year 23 and presumably beyond. However, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Los Angeles Lakers may not remain his place of residence for much longer.
Per the insider, it's "widely presumed" that the organization prefers the idea of "letting James’ contract drop off their books after the 2025-26 season,” leading many to believe that this coming campaign could very well be his last in LA.
Now, as a result of this buzz, people are already starting to discuss where the superstar's next stop could be beyond this coming season, and, while there's a growing optimism that he could reunite with a past employer like the Cavaliers or Heat to close out his career, a recent post by Nikola Jokic's agent, Misko Raznatovic, has some believing Denver could theoretically be a realistic destination.
Captioned "The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026," Raznatovic shared a picture of himself sitting alongside James on his personal Instagram account.
The timing of the post could not be anymore speculation-inducing, for not only does it follow Stein's recent remarks on LeBron's future in Los Angeles, but also James’ agent, Rich Paul's comments from earlier this summer that the forward “wants to compete for a championship” and that he still “values a realistic chance of winning it all.”
With the growing belief that the Thunder could become the game's next great dynasty, the concept of teaming up with the reigning champions' most feared foe could theoretically provide James with his best opportunity to accomplish these aforementioned goals.
As Raznatovic seemingly suggested in his post, this hypothetical team-up between LeBron and Jokic out in the Mile High City could come during the 2026-27 season.
While this may only be mere speculation based on a single image, the Thunder and their fan base should be monitoring this situation closely.