Nikola Jokic has indicated his intention to sign a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets and finish his NBA career with the team. The Serbian center, currently under contract for two more seasons, confirmed his desire to remain in Denver following a FIBA World Cup qualifying game on Monday.
"My idea and desire is to stay in Denver," Jokic told reporters. "My desire is to play the rest of my life in Denver."
While eligible to sign a four-year, $278 million max extension as of June 14, Jokic plans to wait until next offseason to finalize a new deal. This delay could allow him to sign a five-year, $359.5 million contract as a free agent in the following year, which would be the largest in NBA history and potentially push his career earnings to $724 million. He also opted to delay signing a three-year, $200 million extension the previous offseason.
Since joining the Nuggets in 2014, Jokic has become one of the league's most dominant centers. He was instrumental in leading the team to its first NBA championship in 2023 and has secured three MVP awards (2021, 2022, 2024). Over the past two seasons, he has averaged a triple-double.
In the 2023-24 season, Jokic finished as the MVP runner-up, averaging 27.7 points per game on 56.9 percent shooting. He also led the league with 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game. Despite his individual accolades and consistent high-level performance, the Nuggets were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, failing to advance past the second round since their championship run.