Nikola Jokic is eligible for a three-year extension with the Denver Nuggets this offseason that most people around the NBA expect him to sign. No muss, no fuss. Just like his last extension.
There is a chance, however, Jokic doesn’t put pen to paper on the deal. And it’s not a remote chance, either. When the Nuggets invariably present him with the offer, he could feasibly decline it.
That scenario can seem…ominous. It’s not. If Jokic passes on the extension, Nuggets fans have little to no reason to worry about losing their three-time MVP in the near future. This decision, if it’s the one Jokic makes, isn’t about his happiness in Denver. It’s about dollars and cents.
Nikola Jokic can lock in more money by waiting to sign an extension
The Nuggets can offer their resident megastar a three-year, $212.5 million extension that would keep him in the Mile High through the 2029-30 season. (He would decline his 2027-28 player option as part of the agreement).
That is…a lot of money. Jokic would be making an estimated $76 million in the final year of that contract. And yet, the Serbian big man can lock in even more by refusing to ink the extension.
If Jokic waits until next summer, he will be eligible for a four-year, $293.4 million deal that runs through 2030-31. The final year of this contract would pay him $81.2 million(!).
That is…also a lot of money. It may also be financial security Jokic and his camp want to guarantee as he enters his mid-30s. He would be playing out his age-35 season by the end of that deal. Sewing up that extra $81.2 million in job security might be a priority.
There is a caveat to Jokic waiting
You might be wondering why so many believe Jokic will sign an extension this summer if he stands to bag another $80-plus million by waiting. And that’s a great question.
Jokic is the pinnacle of no-drama superstardom. He won’t want himself, his teammates, or the organization subjected to the speculation that would follow his decision to pass on an extension.
Beyond that, he also might just want to Sharpie in that financial security now. Players start to reckon with their career’s mortality after turning 30, and Jokic will be 31 next February.
Granted, this could go the entire other way, as well. If Jokic signs an extension now, he will be eligible for another one in two years, at the age of 32. That’s young enough for him to still be a max-contract no-brainer. And hey, given how well his game should age, he might still be a super-duper max player at 35, or at 36, or at 37, or—well, you get the point.
Either way, Nuggets fans shouldn’t have anything to worry about
Moral of the story: There are plenty of reasons why Jokic might and might not sign the extension Denver will certainly offer him this summer. Heck, he might even punt on ironing out a deal this offseason simply to apply extra (yet silent) pressure on the front office to address the team’s most glaring holes. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
So despite what the talking heads on certain four- and three-letter networks will inevitably try to tell you if Joker passes on an extension, the decision has nothing to do with him plotting his exit from the Nuggets. Now, if we get through the 2026 offseason, and he still hasn’t put pen to paper on a new deal, then it’s time to worry. We’re not at the point yet. And frankly, knowing how Jokic feels about Denver and the spotlight in general, chances are we’ll never get there.