The Denver Nuggets have a difficult decision to make during the offseason, with their franchise centerpiece Nikola Jokic in the middle of what can result in a risky play.
According to Danny Leroux of The Athletic, the Nuggets are likely to decline Jokic's fourth-year option in hopes to limit his market and keep him for the long haul.
“Denver looks to be the most interesting case because of their unusual situation. Young center Nikola Jokic was a second-round pick who signed a four-year contract, so the front office can either pick up his fourth-year team option at the minimum and allow him to hit unrestricted free agency next year or decline that option to make him a restricted free agent this summer. The belief around the league is they will do the latter to reduce risk and ideally limit his market, though there should be plenty of interest.”
This maneuver would help the collective, as shooting guard Gary Harris is in line to cash in on his extension, forward Paul Millsap will be under contract for next season, and the likes of Wilson Chandler and Darrell Arthur could be likely to pick up their respective player-options with not much of a market surrounding them.
This would allow the Nuggets' ownership to have the ultimate flexibility of shedding cap space or keeping this same moving parts intact, though they will have to be willing to pay the corresponding tax.
There still lies the possibility of coughing up more dough than expected to secure Jokic's services as he's that kind of a talent that teams would be more than willing to roll the dice on a megabuck deal, forcing the Nuggets to match their offer.