Nikola Jokic won’t sign extension with Nuggets this summer

After the sudden and shocking firing of longtime head coach Mike Malone, the Denver Nuggets were considered a heavyweight in the Western Conference that could falter quickly and potentially lose superstar Nikola Jokic.

Fortunately for Denver, the team has proven to be the toughest competition in the West against the eventual NBA champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder, during this past postseason. The Nuggets took Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company to seven games, a feat only matched by the Indiana Pacers.

Along with being one of the better teams in the NBA playoffs, the Nuggets have made some solid moves during the offseason, improving their overall team heading into the 2025-26 campaign.

One interesting, yet expected, development that has occurred this summer is Jokic declining to sign an extension with the team, as reported by Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic will not seek a contract extension this summer, delaying talks until next summer, a league source confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.

The obvious reason for declining this opportunity is that the superstar center stands to make substantially more next summer, via ESPN.

Jokic has three years remaining on a five-year, $276 million contract extension he signed in summer 2022. The three-time MVP has a player option in the final year of the deal worth $62.8 million in 2027-28.

By waiting until the 2026 offseason to work on an extension, the Nuggets star is able to add a fourth year at an additional $77 million, according to Marks.

Although there will be talk of Jokic potentially exploring his options, the most likely scenario is that he will sign a massive extension next offseason.