David Zalubowski/Associated Press
DENVER — There was a time not long ago that basketball success in the Rocky Mountains was measured by the Denver Nuggets’ ability to convince a free agent of Dwyane Wade’s stature to meet team brass in New York and let the Nuggets offer him millions.
In the summer of 2016, only one season into the career of Nikola Jokic and with few hints to that point that the Nuggets already had a cornerstone player, just getting the opportunity to pitch Wade face-to-face was widely hailed as a triumph for this franchise.
What went unrevealed that off-season is that Denver also made a futile run at Wade’s longtime rival, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks.