Jokić Delays Nuggets Extension to Add $80 Million, Plans to Re-Sign Next Summer

Q: Why is Nikola Jokic waiting until 2027 for his historic payday when he can sign a massive extension now?

Jokic is waiting because 2027 is the point at which Denver can offer him the biggest possible deal: a five-year extension projected at about $359.5 million, which is larger than what he can sign now. Under NBA rules, Jokic is already on a five-year, $276.1 million supermax signed in 2022, and he still has two guaranteed seasons left plus a 2027-28 player option. As of now, the Nuggets can offer only a shorter extension — roughly three years and $214 million or four years and $278 million, depending on that option. By waiting until the summer of 2027, he can line up a new contract that is both longer and worth far more in total guaranteed money. The timing also matters because NBA maximum salaries are tied to the salary cap, and the cap is expected to keep rising. A deal signed in 2027 would be calculated off a higher cap, pushing the dollar value of a 35% max even higher. That is why the projected extension could become the richest in league history. There is little strategic downside for Jokic beyond the normal injury risk. Denver holds his Bird rights, so the Nuggets can re-sign him even if they are over the cap, and both sides have made clear they want to stay together long term. In practical terms, waiting is a business decision: same team, more years, more money.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 6

Nikola Jokić said in Belgrade he expects to sign with Denver next summer, calling the delay "strictly business oriented" while reiterating he wants to finish his career with the Nuggets.
About $80 million is driving the timing: waiting a year lets the 31-year-old add another season of max salary, league sources said.
Jokić has one guaranteed season left plus a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28; signing now would limit him to a four-year, $278 million extension or a three-year, $214 million deal if he exercises the option.
A deal signed next summer would run through 2031-32, giving the three-time MVP a chance to secure top money into his late 30s and easing any immediate concern in Denver about his long-term intentions.