DENVER — Nikola Jokic won’t be a free agent until 2027 at the earliest, but as of Tuesday, the Denver Nuggets’ franchise cornerstone is eligible to sign another contract extension.
Jokic, 29, 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. However, it remains unclear if the three-time MVP will sign now — or wait for a potentially more lucrative payday next summer.
Head honcho Josh Kroenke told reporters in June that the Nuggets plan 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.
Waiting until next summer would allow Jokic to sign a four-year max extension, giving him higher annual salaries and more guaranteed money overall. That deal would be based on a projected 10 percent rise in the NBA salary cap and would keep him in Denver into his late-30s.
Whether Jokic signs now or later, any future deal 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 Denver to its first NBA title in 2023, has made six 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 is incentive on both sides to finalize an extension this offseason. If Jokic signs now, 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.
The Nuggets and Jokic have until the start of the 2025-26 season to agree to an extension. If no deal is reached this summer, the front office can revisit the situation starting July 1, 2026.
For now, the ball is in Jokic’s court — and as always, the entire city of Denver is waiting patiently to see what he does next. If he doesn’t ink, there could be some unsavory narratives about the Nuggets offseason after he began it by calling for more depth, which the team has seemingly answered upon.
