Nikola Jokić may not sign a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets this offseason, and that is drawing attention around the NBA. According to CBS Sports, citing a report by Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, Jokić is considering bypassing the extension for now.
"Jokić feels no need to rush the extension, since a very lucrative deal can be just as easily signed next summer as this summer," they wrote on Saturday.
Jokić currently holds a player option for the 2027-28 season, which means free agency could be one year away. He is eligible for a four-year extension worth around $280 million right now. If he waits and eventually becomes a free agent, he could sign a deal lasting up to five years, though that route would pay him just under $265 million if the salary cap grows at the rate currently projected.
At every public turn, Jokić has said he wants to remain in Denver. In March, he said in an interview conducted in Serbian that he could not imagine playing for another team and that he "really found peace" in Denver. After his team's first-round exit from the postseason, he said: "I want to be a Nugget forever." But when asked specifically about signing an extension, he repeated those same words rather than directly confirming he would sign one.
The situation draws comparisons to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Bucks co-owner Wes Edens told ESPN directly in March that "one of two things will happen: Either he will be extended or he'll be traded." Antetokounmpo was ultimately traded. Most franchise players who decline extensions with only one year remaining before free agency are moved, because teams cannot risk losing that caliber of player for nothing.
CBS Sports noted a key distinction between the two situations. Antetokounmpo, while expressing affection for Milwaukee, made clear on several occasions that winning another championship ranked above loyalty to the franchise. As far back as 2023, he was saying that openly in interviews. Jokić has never given quotes like that and has never used the media to pressure the Nuggets into making roster moves.
Whether that distinction is enough to keep Denver calm remains to be seen. The 2026 offseason is now here, and the Nuggets will be watching closely for any signal from their franchise center.
