As long as the Nuggets have Nikola Jokic, they’ll be contenders in the Western Conference. The 30-year-old center is widely regarded as the #1 basketball player in the world. 

Nobody comes close to what Jokic can do for his size and posistion. ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted that Jokic will not seek a contract extension with the Nuggets this offseason. Instead, he’ll wait until the 2026 offseason to negotiate with Denver. Marks said Jokic can add a fourth year to that hypothetical extension worth $77 million.

Nikola Jokic is being strategic about when he signs an extension with the Nuggets

Nikola Jokic has told the Nuggets he doesn’t plan to sign a contract extension this offseason 👀

(via Denver Post) pic.twitter.com/QEvq6LnxTR

— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) July 8, 2025

In the 2014 NBA draft, the Nuggets used a second-round pick to draft Nikola Jokic out of Serbia. He was famously drafted during a Taco Bell commercial. The three-time MVP center is considered one of the top second-round draft picks in league history. This offseason, Nikola Jokic is eligible to sign a three-year, $200 million extension with the Nuggets. However, Bobby Marks believes the big man is waiting until the 2026 offseason to cash in even more.

If Jokic waits until next summer, he could add a fourth year to that extension worth $77 million. The seven-time all-star still has three years remaining on a five-year, $276 million extension he signed in 2022. Team President Josh Kroenke said the team fully supports Jokic’s decision to wait until next year to sign an extension with Denver. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Nuggets have made changes to the roster to contend in the West.

Source close to the process confirms to @TheSteinLine what @BennettDurando reports below: Nikola Jokić has told the Nuggets that he prefers to delay extension talks to next summer, when a max extension on his current deal could prove to be an estimated $80 million richer. https://t.co/1JoE7glG8l

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 8, 2025

Denver parted ways with NBA champion Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick in exchange for Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson. Porter Jr. and Johnson are similar players. However, Porter Jr.’s contract is larger than Johnson’s. Getting his salary off the books was a win for the Nuggets. The team is hopeful that Johnson can step in and replace Porter Jr.’s production.

Additionally, the team traded Dario Saric to the Kings in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas. In free agency, the team brought back 2023 champion Bruce Brown and former Piston Tim Hardaway Jr. Denver parted ways with former head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth just days before the playoffs started. How far can first-year head coach David Adelman take the Nuggets in 2025-26?

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