Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic will delay a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets this summer in the hopes of an even bigger payday.
The decision doesn’t affect Jokic’s status in Denver in the short term since he has at least two years remaining on his deal - $55.2 million this season and $59 million in 2026-27, along with a player option in 2027-28 worth nearly $63 million.
Jokic became eligible Tuesday to sign an extension that could have added three years and around $212 million to his contract. By waiting until next summer to sign, Jokic would be eligible to add four years to his deal at even more money than this summer’s extension would have guaranteed.
Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, explained earlier this offseason the team was going to present both options to Jokic - and respect his decision.
“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,” Kroenke said.
The 30-year-old from Serbia is coming off a historic season in which he became the first NBA center to average a triple-double - 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists - and finished runner-up to Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP voting. The only other players who averaged a triple-double are Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson.
Jokic and the Nuggets went 3-0 to close out the season, beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games during the first round of the playoffs and took the eventual NBA champion Thunder to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals before being eliminated. Jokic averaged 26.2 points and 12.7 rebounds in the postseason run.
Jokic finished with a franchise-record 34 triple-doubles in the regular season, including a 61-point triple-double.
