Key Points
- Nikola Jokić will wait until 2027 to sign a new Nuggets contract, ESPN reported.
- He is bypassing a four-year, $278 million extension he can sign now.
- Opting out in 2027 lets him sign a five-year, $359.5 million max with a no-trade clause.
- "The decision is strictly business oriented," Jokić said, reaffirming he wants to stay in Denver.
Nikola Jokić plans to wait until the summer of 2027 to sign his next contract with the Denver Nuggets, ESPN reported, passing on an extension he has been eligible to sign since June 14. The three-time MVP is under contract for two more seasons, the last a player option he can decline to reach free agency in 2027.
The delay is about maximizing the deal, not leaving. If Jokić signed now, the most he could get is a four-year, $278 million extension. By waiting to opt out and enter free agency in the summer of 2027, he becomes eligible for a five-year, roughly $359.5 million maximum — with a no-trade clause he can only obtain as a free agent. "The decision is strictly business oriented," Jokić said, adding, "My wish is to stay and play for Denver the rest of my career."
It is leverage played with a light touch. Jokić has repeatedly said he wants to be a Nugget for life, and nothing here contradicts that — he is simply declining to leave roughly $80 million and a no-trade clause on the table to sign a year early. In a summer when stars from LeBron James on down are using every lever the collective bargaining agreement allows, the best player in the world quietly optimizing his own timeline is its own kind of statement about where the power sits.
Source: ESPN, Yahoo Sports.
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