Pressure or problem? Report says Nikola Jokic might not sign this summer

Nikola Jokic could’ve signed a three-year extension last summer, but didn’t — possibly as a tactic to add more pressure on ownership and the front office to build the best team possible, though there was fiscal incentive. This summer Jokic is eligible to sign a four-year deal but reports indicate he might hold off on inking that deal despite his public insistence that he wants to remain in Denver.

So what’s happening here? Is Jokic again pressuring an ownership group that has indicated they want to dodge the luxury tax or is he a flight risk when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2027?

According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Nuggets and Jokic are “electing to take the same step (as last year) and holding off on extension talks.” They report further that the team is “actively pursuing trades.” They mentioned the front office considering a Jaylen Brown pursuit.

“Jokic, of course, said repeatedly after Denver’s first-round elimination by Minnesota that ‘I want to be [a] Nugget forever.’ We were told this week Jokic feels no need to rush the extension, since a very lucrative deal can be just as easily signed next summer as this summer,” The Stein Line reported.

When asked this week about Jokic’s situation after the NBA Draft co-GM Ben Tenzer said, “yeah, we just can’t comment on any of that because of the league rules. But you’ve heard what he said about his happiness here, and we feel really comfortable with that relationship.”

Maybe the comfortable factor is the issue. Longtime Nuggets reporter Jeff Morton has pointed out that it might be beneficial for both sides to feel a little uncomfortable this summer. Last year, that may have been a factor in the Nuggets slight overhaul that netted them a deeper bench, at Jokic’s request as they dumped Michael Porter Jr. along with an unprotected first-round pick to do it

“Unease is inevitable,” the report said.

Jokic could have inked a three-year, $206 million maximum extension last summer but it made financial sense to wait since signing this summer he can now sign for four years and $278 million. By waiting, he can get another guaranteed year of salary into the 2030s but it won’t necessarily mean more dough per season so much as it’s just another year he knows he’s getting paid after 35.

Since Jokic will be a free agent, other teams could offer him a contract but it’ll be far less than what the Nuggets could offer the super-max player they have bird rights on.

Last June honcho Josh Kroenke told reporters that the Nuggets planned to offer Jokic the full max as soon as they’re allowed to, but also acknowledged some uncertainty about when — or if — Jokic would sign.

“I’m not sure if he’s going to accept it or not because we’re also going to explain every financial parameter around him signing now versus signing later. To be completely transparent, that’s the way we always are, and he makes the best decision for himself and his family, and we’ll support him in it,” Kroenke said at the time.

Any future deal with Jokic is expected to include a player option in the final year, a 15 percent trade kicker, and other cap-legal mechanisms to maximize his financial security.

Jokic has already cemented his status as the greatest player in franchise history. He led the Nuggets to their first NBA title in 2023, has made seven straight All-NBA teams and has thrice been named the league’s MVP. This past season, he averaged a triple-double on absurd shooting splits for one of the best offensive seasons in sports history.

While always team-first, Jokic holds significant leverage. He has never expressed a desire to leave Denver — but the boss raised eyebrows last year when he, unprompted, floated the hypothetical idea of trading Jokic during the same press conference in which he discussed the extension.

The comment was quickly walked back by team executives, but it introduced an awkward narrative during what was supposed to be a celebratory discussion about the team’s new leadership structure.

Now it’s worth thinking about, if Jokic doesn’t sign would the Nuggets apply pressure right back by putting their star on the trade block at the though of not losing him for nothing?

Last summer, Denver turned around and had an offseason where they overhauled much of the roster but injuries, poor coaching and other factors led to the worst postseason run the Nuggets have had with Jokic and Jamal Murray.

The speculation here on the outside might turn to the Los Angeles Lakers and the possibility of them opening up cap space next summer to pair Jokic with his buddy Luka Doncic. But in Denver, there should also be an eye on Jokic’s clock. By waiting these two years, the CBA’s over 38 could come into play on Jokic’s extension after this one.

Since it’s been two summers of this, there has to be at least some real concern. After all the pressure Jokic is applying has the implied threat of leaving if the team does not meet his desire. What that hope is exactly is unclear but the Nuggets are looking at a $450 million team next year when counting taxes, that won two playoff games. And their star player is hanging a quarter of a billion over their heads.

Things are no doubt uneasy at Ball Arena.

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