Nikola Jokic was eligible for a four-year extension this summer with the Nuggets, as he enters the final guaranteed season of his current contract (which has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28).
According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, Nikola Jokic will be eligible for a five-year, $359.5 million extension next summer. This would push the Serbian superstar’s career earnings to $724 million.
The salary cap and contracts expert, Marks, recently sat down with Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon for their podcast ‘The Hoop Collective’, where he spoke about Jokic’s situation with the Nuggets.
“Yeah. So, he’s basically this is the second summer in a row he’s done it. He was eligible last year for three years. He decided not to do it, and he said he wanted to wait until the summer of 26 because he can get a fourth year, basically an extra $70-$80 million.”
“We get to this summer now, and he’s saying, well, I’m going to wait until the summer of 27 because now I can do a five-year deal worth $360 million. So it’s an extra $80 million. That’s a big number,” Marks said.
“And listen, I trust when he talks, and he says this is where he wants to be. But man, you go, this could be a rocky year in Denver. Just based on where they are right now. They didn’t really do much in the offseason.”
“Peyton Watson’s kind of, you know, still, you know, out there and everything, but um, but I would not, if I was in that ownership group, I would not want that over my head,” Marks added.
Now here’s where Brian Windhorst brought up an interesting question. The extension figures are based on the assumption that if Nikola Jokic extends his contract next summer, he doesn’t opt into his 2027-28 player option.
But what is stopping him from opting into his 2026-27 player option and waiting until he becomes a free agent in 2028 to sign a similar extension, like Marks mentioned?
“Well, the concept here real quick. So he’s going to be 31 this year. Okay. So the idea is that if he doesn’t sign now and he signs when he’s 32, that he can sign all the way out till he’s 37, right? Or 36, 37. Um, and so the idea is, why not guarantee yourself whatever $70-whatever million in age 36, why not do that?
“And if you’re a Nuggets fan, you’re saying, “Sounds good. I’m going to go to sleep and sleep well.” But if that’s the case, he’s got a player option for next year. So, why not just pick up the player option and sign at age 33 till you’re 39, or 38 or whatever, whatever it is.
“I mean, like, if we’re to believe, first off, do we honestly believe that the Nuggets wouldn’t sign Jokic to a contract that he wanted? Number one. Number two, if that’s truly what he’s doing, he’s waiting to make sure he gets paid the maximum amount of money when he’s in his late 30s.”
“If that is the case and he did that last summer and he’s doing it again this summer, ergo, would he do it again next year when he’s got a player option? I’m not expecting you guys to have the answer. I’m just putting it out there,” Windhorst concluded.
So if you add the $62.8 million to his expected earnings, he can earn upwards of $787 million in his career. Which, if inflated for a salary cap increase in two years, could potentially touch the $800 million figure.
Tim MacMahon went on to also point out that Jokic is technically doing the exact opposite of what Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama did.
Nikola Jokic does not have the pressure of earning an NBA championship, which motivated the Knicks star Jalen Brunson to make his famous $113 million sacrifice.
And even Victor Wembanyama took a $51 million pay cut to give the Spurs some flexibility to build a roster around him. The Serbian star doesn’t have to worry about flexibility either.
Whereas at age 32, Jokic remains the foundational cornerstone of the Nuggets, and it is anticipated that the front office would do anything to retain him. And even Jokic has declared his intentions to retire in Denver. For now, the common expectation is that he will sign an extension in the summer of 2027.
He ended the 2025-26 season averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists while going 56.9% from the field and 38.0% from the three-point line. Looking at the form Jokic has been in, where he ended the season second in MVP voting, Jokic should be in a position to earn the most amount of money he possibly can.
But just as Windhorst pointed out, Nikola Jokic’s behavioral pattern has indicated that he might choose the riskier option and wait until 2028. Especially since the Nuggets are evaluating a major roster shake-up due to the second apron. Therefore, anything is possible next summer.