Nuggets fans do not need to panic. Nikola Jokic just told the world that he is going to be a Denver Nugget for the rest of his career. What he is not going to do is sign that extension right now.
Jokic told reporters this week that his plan is to wait until next summer before putting his signature on a new deal.
“My idea is to sign next summer and stay with Denver for the rest of my career,” Jokic said. That should read as a commitment, not a warning shot. But the reason he is waiting is worth understanding.
The current CBA extension rules mean Jokic is eligible for a four-year, $278 million max extension this summer. If he waits until the summer of 2027, he becomes eligible for a five-year, $359.5 million supermax. That is roughly $80 million in extra earnings for the exact same amount of basketball. Every dollar of it comes with the same protection.
Any player who did not take that deal would be doing his family a disservice. Jokic waits. The deal gets bigger. Denver still gets the guy for the rest of his career.
There is a small risk here. If Jokic gets seriously hurt during the 2026-27 season, the supermax could turn into a smaller number or a shorter deal. That risk is real but small. Jokic has been remarkably durable throughout his career, and even a lost season would not tank his market value at his level. The math still works out in favor of waiting.
What this does is give Denver some cap flexibility to work with over the next 12 months. The Nuggets are trying to figure out how to keep the core around Jokic intact while paying market rates for Aaron Gordon and eventually replacing Jamal Murray’s production if the injuries continue. Not having a supermax on the books immediately gives Calvin Booth and his front office some room to maneuver.
Jokic just won his second championship in three years. He has three MVPs. He is 31. He is the best player in the world by any reasonable measure, and he has said publicly he loves Denver, loves the small-town feel of the city, and loves the way the organization treats his family. This is not a Kevin Durant situation waiting to happen.
Denver’s championship window is wide open right now. The Thunder are the young dynasty threat but Denver’s core is younger than people realize. Jokic is 31. Gordon is 30. Christian Braun is 25. The framework is there to run this back for another three or four years and legitimately compete for another title or two.
The extension not being signed today just means it happens next summer instead. Same player. Same team. More money. That is how this works when the CBA rules basically force stars to wait a year to unlock their real earning potential.
Nuggets fans, breathe. Jokic just told you he is not going anywhere. The paperwork will follow.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
