Report: Nikola Jokic leaves door open — won’t sign extension this summer

Nikola Jokic became eligible to sign a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, but The Denver Post is reporting that the three-time MVP will not ink a further deal this summer.

Jokic, 30, can ink a three-year, $206 million maximum extension that would tack onto his existing supermax deal, which runs through the 2026-27 season and includes a player option for 2027-28. But that won’t happen. The report says that the franchise cornerstone has informed the team he will not be signing an extension this summer. Instead, he will wait until next summer to talk about his contract.

By waiting, Jokic can sign a four-year max extension next summer, giving him higher annual salaries and more guaranteed money overall — about $80 million. That deal would be based on a projected 10 percent rise in the NBA salary cap and would keep him in Denver into his mid-30s.

Head honcho Josh Kroenke told reporters in June 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 thirce 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 month when Kroenke, 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.

While there’s no real rush — Jokic remains under contract for at least two more seasons — there was incentive on both sides to finalize an extension this offseason. If Jokic did sign this summer, he would become eligible for another deal three years from now, allowing him to potentially lock in one more final massive contract into his late 30s after this one, he’s up for now.

If there’s any speculation here, it’s about Jokic perhaps putting a clock on his time in the NBA, rather than looking for a way out of Denver. By waiting a year, the CBA’s over 38 could come into play on Jokic’s extension after this one, whereas signing this year and doing a three-year deal again in a few years would have made that a non-factor.

The only real worry about Jokic leaving Denver is the slight pressure he’s put on the team this offseason by asking for more depth after the team’s Game 7 loss to OKC in Round 2.

The Nuggets and Jokic can revisit the situation on July 1, 2026.

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