The future of Nikola Jokic is unclear after the Denver Nuggets fired general manager Calvin Booth and head coach Mike Malone on the same day right before the NBA playoffs.
Nikola Jokic Is Extension-Eligible From July 8 Until 2025-26 Regular Season
Per Spotrac, Jokic is currently on a five-year, $276.12 million supermax contract, earning $51.4 million for the 2024-25 season. He signed the deal in July 2022 with a player option before the 2027-28 season.
The 30-year-old is then slated to earn $55.2 million in 2025-26 and $59 million for 2026-27. He’ll likely decline his $62.8 million player option for 2027-28 to explore free agency or continue his career in Denver with an extension.
Jokic is extension-eligible from July 8 until the day before the 2025-26 regular season begins. For a new deal, he’d void his player option to add three years at approximately $212.2 million, which would break down to $149.4 million in new salary after declining the player option.
However, if Jokic waits until July 2026, he could add four years at $293.4 million ($230.6 million in added salary, excluding the declined option). This is essentially a win-win situation for the three-time MVP.
Five-Year Contract As Free Agent Could Reach $380 Million
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, a five-year contract as a free agent could reach about $380 million. Even then, it would benefit a superstar player like Jokic to lock in a multi-year contract via extension as soon as possible. After all, he could always sign for more in the years ahead.
If traded, he would need to wait six months to get his full extension, or else “his raises would drop from eight to four percent, and the maximum total years of the contract would drop from five to four,” per Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.
Jokic could end up staying in Denver if the right guys get hired to replace Booth and Malone.
The Athletic’s Tony Jones, Sam Amick, and Zach Powell reported last week that “there had been significant frustration within the locker room at how the Nuggets were playing, particularly defensively.”
“That frustration started to become apparent on the floor,” The Athletic trio added. “In Malone’s final two weeks in charge, the Nuggets lost important games to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors. But they also lost winnable games, particularly to the San Antonio Spurs at home.”
In 70 games (all starts) this season, Jokic averaged career highs of 29.6 points, 10.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 36.7 minutes per contest while shooting 57.6% from the field, a career-best 41.7% from 3-point range, and 80% at the foul line.
