Superstar center Nikola Jokic confirmed on Monday he plans to wait until the 2027 offseason to sign a new contract, according to Marko Ljubomirovic of Admiral Bet (Twitter video link). The Serbian big man also reiterated his desire to stay with the Nuggets.
“My idea is to sign next summer and stay in Denver for the rest of my (career),” Jokic said, per an automated translation.
Jokic repeatedly said after Denver was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs that he wanted to be a “Nugget forever.”
The Stein Line reported at the end of June that Jokic was considering waiting until next summer to sign a new contract. As Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron outlines (via Twitter), the 31-year-old is eligible to sign a four-year max extension anytime between now and June 30, 2027.
However, if Jokic waits to finalize the contract as a free agent during the 2027/28 league year, he’d be eligible for a five-year max deal with a full no-trade clause. Jokic is set to earn $59MM in ’26/27, followed by a $62.8MM player option in ’27/28. He’d have to decline that option to sign a five-year deal in 2027 free agency.
Sources close to Jokic tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that the former second-round pick is waiting to sign a new contract because he wants that maximum-salary fifth year tacked on at the end of the deal. Jokic will be in his late 30s by then, Amick writes, and securing an extra season at that stage of his career is a “significant factor” in his thinking.
Jokic had another remarkable regular season in ’25/26, averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 65 games (34.8 minutes per contest). He was highly efficient, as usual, posting a shooting line of .569/.380/.831.
On top of leading the NBA in both rebounds and assists per game, Jokic finished runner-up in MVP voting for the second straight year. The three-time MVP has now finished first or second in MVP voting each of the past six seasons, joining Bill Russell and Larry Bird as the only other players to accomplish that feat.
Jokic, who made Monday’s comments after Serbia’s victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the July qualifying window for the 2027 FIBA World Cup, was recently named captain of the Serbian national team, per BasketNews.
“This is the first time in my life that I am the captain of a team and it means a lot to me,” Jokic said. “I told the team that after the game, I will remember this for the rest of my life, because it means a lot to me and it is a great feeling.”
