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It would seem likely that Nikola Jokic sticks around with the Denver Nuggets for a while, and yet, it is by no means a guarantee that the three-time NBA MVP signs an extension anytime soon with the team.
Jokic signed a five-year, $276.1 million ‘supermax' contract extension with the Nuggets in July 2022. He has three years and $177.1 million, including his 2027-28 player option, left on the deal, so there is little rush to sign another one in the immediate future.
For that reason, and possibly to see what the Nuggets actually have planned, NBA insider Brian Windhorst thinks there is some solid reasoning as to why Jokic may ultimately reject the extension that Denver CEO Josh Kroenke already said would be offered this summer.
“Jokic is going to get offered a contract extension here. It’s three years, like $205 million — it’s a lot of money. You probably should not say no. If anyone ever offers you that, you probably should not say no,” Windhorst said on the ‘Hoop Collective' podcast. “However, if he waits till next summer, he can sign for four years. I’m not saying this decision is going to affect his decision, but if I was Jokic, and the Nuggets come to me…. I mean Josh Kroenke, the governor, already said, when they come to you with the contract offer, I might ask them what their plans are with the salary in the next few years.”
Because Jokic has two years left on his deal before the player option, the longest contract extension he could sign this summer is three years. The first year of the extension would effectively replace his $62.8 million player option, and that first-year salary was previously expected to be around $65.5 million. However, the latest cap projection for the 2026-27 season indicated a 7% increase from this coming season's cap, which came as a surprise to many, considering the NBA's cap had been expected to continue increasing year-over-year by 10%, the maximum allowed under the current CBA.
If he remains healthy, though, the cap fluctuations will have little effect on Jokic's long-term earnings. If he signs his extension this offseason, it will run until 2030, when he is 35 years old and likely to have made more than $500 million in his career.
So far this offseason, the Nuggets traded Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for Cam Johnson, and they also brought back Bruce Brown, who was a key member of their 2023 NBA championship run, on a one-year minimum deal.
