Nikola Jokic has never indicated he would like to move on from the Nuggets, but multiple high-profile NBA teams are preparing just in case the three-time MVP does decide to leave Denver.
The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are among the teams that were named by The Athletic’s Sam Amick on Tuesday, who are trying to maintain salary flexibility for the summer of 2027 when Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo can become free agents.
He writes this blurb below from an update on Jonathan Kuminga’s contract negotiation, which he squares as the player wanting security and the Warriors preferring flexibility.
“Monk’s current contract runs through the 2027-28 season, when he has a player option worth $21.5 million. The length of his deal poses a similar problem to the one the Warriors have had in the negotiations with Kuminga, as they want to maintain maximum flexibility for that 2027 summer (as it stands, they only have Moody’s $13.4 million and Hield’s $10 million player option on the books by then). The Warriors, who are well aware that Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver’s Nikola Jokic both have player options for the 2027-28 season, are hardly alone on this star-hunting front. High-profile teams like the Lakers and Clippers have sent similar signals in recent months.”
Jokic, 30, was eligible this summer to sign 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. He declined. This isn’t the big red flag some have made it out to be, as he’s once again extension-eligible next summer. By waiting, Jokic can sign a four-year max extension next summer, which would give him higher annual salaries and more guaranteed money overall — approximately $80 million over the course of the contract. 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.
While always team-first, Jokic holds significant leverage. He has never expressed a desire to leave Denver — but Josh Kroenke raised eyebrows this summer when the boss, unprompted, floated the hypothetical idea of trading Jokic during a news conference.
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 an 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.
However, other teams are reading this differently than the Nuggets, keeping cap space open for the possibility of Joker and Greek Freak on the market. Both would make significantly less money if they decided to leave their mid-market cities for a new destination. Where Jokic has never given any indication of wanting an exit, Antetokounmpo’s exit has been rumored for years, with the two-time MVP consistently putting the pressure on the Bucks.
Jokic used some of his leverage to pressure the Nuggets by asking for more depth after the team’s Game 7 loss to OKC in Round 2. They accomplished that this summer, and next summer, on July 1, the sides can revisit a new deal. Until then, a bunch of directionless NBA teams will be hoping for a fracture in the relationship while keeping their options open, apparently.
