Nikola Jokic is content to stay put.
After delaying contract extension talks with the Nuggets this summer and spurring inevitable speculation about his future, the three-time MVP told reporters on Monday that “my plan is to be (with the) Nuggets forever.”
Jokic, 30, has a minimum of two years remaining on his current contract, plus a player option for the 2027-28 season. The second-highest-salaried player in the NBA for the upcoming 2025-26 season, he became eligible in July for an extension that would add up to three years and an estimated $207 million to the current deal.
But when the Nuggets offered it, Jokic’s camp informed them that he intends to wait to engage in contract talks next summer, when Denver will be allowed to offer him an additional year and $80 million. Nuggets leadership anticipated and supported Jokic’s decision to delay, team sources told The Denver Post.
Still, Jokic has been mentioned throughout this summer as a potential 2027 target for superstar-hunting teams such as the Warriors, Clippers and Lakers.
“I think those contract extensions come as a reward, as something that is natural to the sport,” Jokic said when asked if he plans to sign the extension next summer. “Especially in today’s NBA, you see how the salary cap is going and everything. My plan is to be Nuggets forever. So that’s my answer. Nugget forever. Or Nuggets.”
Jokic will be under contract in Denver until he’s 36 if and when he signs the extension. (He made light of his age during the team’s preseason media day event, telling a reporter when prompted about his 30s: “We don’t need to say that. We are friends. We don’t need to be enemies anymore.”) Nuggets president Josh Kroenke has made clear the team’s intention to offer him the full amount of money allowable.
“We feel good with that,” executive vice president of player personnel Jon Wallace said on Monday. “We’ve talked to him. … He’s in a good headspace, as are we.”
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