Will Nikola Jokic re-sign?
Nikola Jokic still has a big decision to make next offseason after once again delaying his contract extension with the Denver Nuggets for another year.
Jokic has had opportunities to sign extensions the past two years, but is now opting to wait until 2027, when he can decline his player option, which is worth $62 million, to sign a five-year, $359.5 million deal.
Jokic could’ve signed a three-year, $200 million extension in 2025 or a four-year, $278 million extension in 2026, but passed on both to maximize his earnings in 2027. Should he sign the extension in 2027, he would become the highest-paid player in league history.
Will He Sign?
Bleacher Report published a new predictions column with Eric Pincus predicting that Jokic will indeed sign his five-year extension with the Nuggets.
Jokic has openly stated that he wants to remain in Denver and has assured fans and the organization that he intends to remain with the team. Of course, until he actually signs the deal, nothing is guaranteed.
Jokic was drafted by the Nuggets in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft.
In his 11 years in the league with the Nuggets, he’s become the top player in the league, winning three MVPs and finishing runner-up three other times. He also won a championship and a Finals MVP with the Nuggets in 2023.
It’s the only team and organization he’s ever known, but the two delays will give fans pause as to what his future actually holds.
Could He Leave?
There’s always a chance.
There is nothing wrong with maximizing his earnings, which is seemingly what he’s doing in delaying the extension, but it’s also giving him more time to think and more time to be swayed.
The Nuggets haven’t made it out of the second round since winning the championship in 2023, and the team lost key contributors Peyton Watson and Tim Hardaway Jr this past season. They are still expected to be one of the better teams in the Western Conference, but while other teams are making moves to improve, Denver has been relying on veterans at the end of their careers to help alongside Jokic.
Fans believe that the organization is wasting some of his prime years, but Jokic may have a different view on things.
If things don’t go well this season, the chatter is only going to get louder, and there will be plenty of speculation tying him to the Los Angeles Lakers and his good friend Luka Doncic.
