Nikola Jokic once again commits to playing his whole career for the Nuggets, after star performance for Serbia

Nikola Jokic is saying what he has said consistently before — he wants to play every game of his NBA career for the Denver Nuggets

BY JAKE SHAPIRO

Jul 6, 2026, 3:05 PM

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Nikola Jokic is saying what he has said consistently before — he wants to play every game of his NBA career for the Denver Nuggets.

Just after posting a triple-double in Serbia’s 94-81 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Monday, Jokic was asked about his contract situation. NBA free agency opened Sunday. Jokic is not yet a free agent — he is under contract through next season, then has a player option for the following year — but he has not inked the four-year supermax extension he’s been eligible to dot since July 1.

His answer, via Serbian journalist Marko Ljubomirovic, was direct but left some question.

“My idea is to sign next summer and stay with Denver for the rest of my career,” Jokic said, per a translation of the original Serbian-language quote. “The reason for that is strictly business. My desire is to play with Nuggets for the rest of my career. It’s up to them whether they’ll offer me that or not.”

Let’s unpack this.

S obzirom da od danas slobodni agenti mogu da potpisuju ugovore sa NBA timovima, pitao sam Nikolu #Jokić-a kakvi su njegovi planovi i razmišljanja tim povodom:

"Moja ideja je da potpišem sledećeg leta i da ostanem do kraja života (karijere) u Denveru" pic.twitter.com/LXcR5gnmna

— Marko Ljubomirović (@LjubomirovicM) July 6, 2026

By saying “next summer,” Jokic is signaling he intends to bypass the four-year, $278 million extension he can sign anytime between now and June 30, 2027. Instead, he appears to be eyeing the five-year maximum with a no-trade clause he can only get by opting-out and becoming a free agent in the summer of 2027.

This is now the second straight offseason Jokic has elected not to sign an extension. Last year he passed on a three-year, $206 million deal. This summer the number jumped to four years and $278 million after he waited — a smart financial play that added a guaranteed year into his mid-30s.

But the five-year max as a free agent? That’s the best possible deal. It’s the longest and most lucrative deal the Nuggets can offer, with a no-trade clause attached, and it can only happen if Jokic hits the open market. The tradeoff: It requires a full season of uncertainty in Denver, where unease between the star and ownership is starting to pop up.

As we reported last month, the Nuggets and Jokic were once again “electing to take the same step and holding off on extension talks,” per Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. When asked about it after the draft, co-GM Ben Tenzer punted: “You’ve heard what he said about his happiness here, and we feel really comfortable with that relationship.”

Comfortable or not, the quote from Belgrade should land mostly well at Ball Arena.

While Jokic continues to leave no ambiguity about his desire to be a Nugget — the end of the quote does make one wonder. Has Denver’s brass been holding off on offering the deal until his international duties are completed — something that played out in 2024 with Jamal Murray? Or is Jokic applying pressure on the Nuggets to operate how he wants before he commits to another five years?

It should calm the fire-alarm crowd worried about the Lakers and Luka Doncic, to some extent. But it should also light a fire under ownership to back up their words about doing whatever it takes to chase championships behind Jokic, with action.

There is another catch to waiting until 2027. The CBA’s over-38 rule could come into play on whatever deal follows this next contract. Jokic turns 32 in February. Teams and agents navigate that math carefully, and it is worth monitoring as the timeline plays out.

Still: “the rest of my career” doesn’t leave a lot of room for interpretation.

Now, about the actual basketball game he just played.

Jokic recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in 32 minutes as Serbia closed out FIBA World Cup qualifying’s first round with a 94-81 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at Pionir.

We are living in Nikola Jokic's world… 🌍🇷🇸 #FIBAWC #StepItUp

Joker at halftime: 15 PTS, 6 REB, 4 ASTpic.twitter.com/D6ue0JYvhW

— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) July 6, 2026

It was his first game at the legendary Belgrade arena since 2014 — and he played it as captain, a role he said last week he’d remember “for the rest of my life.”

The efficiency was absurd even by Jokic standards: 6-of-10 from the field (4-of-6 on twos, 2-of-4 on threes), 6-of-8 from the line, two steals and one turnover. Nikola Jovic was the leading scorer with 32 points on 7-of-9 three-point shooting, while Nikola Djurisic added 16. Luka Garza — the former Iowa star — led Bosnia with 16 in a losing effort.

Nikola Jokic is the best Point Guard in the world.#FIBAWC | #StepItUp pic.twitter.com/nehb13lIhb

— FIBA Basketball World Cup 🏆 (@FIBAWC) July 6, 2026

Serbia finished the first round at 4-2 in Group C, clinching a second-round berth behind Turkey (6-0). They now enter a new six-team super group alongside Turkey, Italy (5-1), Lithuania, Iceland and their current group. First-round results carry over, meaning Serbia enters the second round in third place. The top three teams at the end of that round will punch their tickets to the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Doha, Qatar.

Jokic has now played over 40 games for Serbia’s senior national team, dating back to 2016. He is one of the most invested international stars of his generation — an Olympic silver medalist, an Olympic bronze medalist, and an All-Star team selection at each of his last two major tournaments.

He’s healthy. He’s playing meaningful basketball in July, again, and telling anyone who’ll listen that Denver is home.

Now it’s on the Nuggets to make sure the roster around him is worth staying for.