Nikola Jokic appears to be playing the long game.
The three-time NBA MVP has reportedly informed the Denver Nuggets that he will not sign an extension with the team this off-season, per The Denver Post on Tuesday.
Jokic is eligible to sign a three-year max extension worth approximately $206 million as of Tuesday, but according to NBA insider Marc Stein, the star big man prefers to delay extension talks until next summer.
His decision doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering Jokic is only in the third year of his current five-year, $276 million max deal (per Spotrac). By waiting until after the 2025-26 season, Jokic will be eligible to sign a four-year extension that would make him an estimated $80 million more than if he inked a deal this off-season.
By forgoing an extension, the seven-time all-star also gets himself closer to unrestricted free agency should he choose. He’s signed through the 2027-28 season but has a player option for that final year.
When the time comes, the Nuggets will presumably offer Jokic that lucrative contract extension with little hesitation, given that he remains one of the best players in the NBA. The 30-year-old is coming off averages of 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.8 steals on 57.6/41.7/80.0 shooting splits through 70 regular-season appearances — finishing second in MVP voting. Jokic also put up 26.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals through 14 playoff games as Denver pushed the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the West semis.
Meanwhile, until any future contract talks with the franchise star take place, the Nuggets front office has been busy nonetheless. Denver traded Michael Porter Jr. and his $38 million cap hit to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Cameron Johnson, and the necessary salary space to sign Bruce Brown Jr. and Tim Hardaway Jr., and acquire Jonas Valanciunas from the Kings. Much-needed additions, as Denver’s lack of depth was apparent all year, ranking in the bottom five for bench scoring through the regular-season and playoffs.
All of which were moves that Jokic was reportedly “very pleased” with, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on Monday.
Only time will tell if he was so satisfied with the Nuggets’ future outlook that he ultimately agrees to stick around — a decision we now know he won’t make for a bit longer.
