He's the best player on the planet. We won't spare the hyperbole. And Nikola Jokic's up for a contract extension this summer, which could turn into a nightmare scenario for the Nuggets, a team already flirting with the second apron tax for next year. Especially if the Nuggets don't make it to June.
The Nuggets are just $3.6 million away from entering the second apron, well past the luxury tax threshold and on the hook for over $50 million in penalties next season. That's before matching any offer Peyton Watson could receive on the free agent market.
But a deep run would put more money in the front office's pockets, and a championship would obviously make it worth it. But they're going to have to be creative to make it all work.
Jokic's eligible for an extension again. A big one. He waited one extra season to extend, enabling him to add an additional year to the extension in the neighborhood of $80 million. It would also keep Jokic under team control until 2031.
He's got two seasons left on his current deal, one under team control. His final year is a player option. Jokic has the choice to come back and keep the $62 million he's owed, or he can seek a better deal in free agency. Nuggets fans likely don't need to worry about that, but it's still not something they want to have to worry about either.
The Nuggets owe a lot of money to a few players
Jamal Murray's on the books for $50 million plus the next three years. Aaron Gordon jumps from $33 to $39 million by 2028-29 in his option year. Christian Braun was just signed to an extension that will see his salary rise from $4.9 million this season to $21 million next year, rising to $28 million by $2030-31.
And then you have Jokic. He'll get $59 million next season and $62 million in his option year. And by waiting a full year to re-negotiate, Jokic's eligible for a four-year $293 million extension.
But you have to pay him. You have to pay the best player in the game. And you have to be prepared to keep paying the luxury tax penalty for years to come to keep the supporting cast he deserves around him. It's only fair, and it will only result in more championships.
The Nuggets will have to get creative, or the owners are going to have to dig really deep. But if they do, we're about to have a front-row seat to watch a player people are going to be talking about for generations, in his prime, with a team that has a chance to win every season.