The individual addressed the AP on anonymity since neither Jokic nor the Nuggets have publicly come out to handle the issue. It does not change the situation of Jokić in Denver right now: he still has at least two seasons left on his contract 55.2 million this year, 59 million next season with a player option in the 2028-29 next year where he has at least another 63 million guaranteed to him.
Jokic was able on Tuesday to sign an extension that might have stretched his deal to three years with an approximate total of 212 million dollars. Waiting until next summer to sign would then make Jokic eligible to tack on four years at even greater money in his extension, than he would have next summer.
Josh Kroenke, who is the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, told the media earlier this offseason that the team was going to give both opportunities to Jokic and respect his decision.
I am not certain whether he will be accepting it or not since we will also be clarifying all the financial parameters around him to sign now as opposed to signing later, Kroenke said.
The Serbian 30-year-old is entering a historic season in which he averaged a triple-double, 29.6 points 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists becoming the first NBA center to ever do it, and lose the MVP award to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson are the other two players to record an average triple-double.
This is a tough year that Jokic and the Nuggets went through where the coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth were relieved of their jobs with three games played in the regular season.
Jokic and the Nuggets finished the season 3-0 in their final three matches and bested the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, seven games to zero, and forced the eventual NBA winner, Thunder, to seven games in semifinals in the Western Conference before losing. Jokic recorded 26.2points and 12.7 boards averagely in the playoffs.
Moreover, he is the first NBA participant to post 16,000, 8000 and 5000 points, rebounds and assists in his career, respectively, in the shortest time (739 games). The former record belonged to the Hall of Famer Larry Bird who did so after appearing in only 799 games.
Drafted as a second-round selection in the year 2014 by the Denver team, Jokic has now progressed to become a five-time All-NBA first-team selection. His contribution to the Nuggets helped them win the first title in 2023 and the Finals MVP award.
He has a new coach this season by the name of David Adelman who was an interim coach when the Nuggets fired Malone and has since been brought on board as a permanent coach. Eight of its ten executive vice presidents lead a new front-office structure that is headed by executive vice presidents Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace. They have promised to go hard in constructing another championship challenger around Jokic during his time to win a championship.
The duo front office struck the headlines by splitting up the backbone of Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. by sending Porter and a first-round pick to Brooklyn in exchange of Cam Johnson. The team also has reacquired Bruce Brown a key to their title win and has acquired sharpshooting wing Tim Hardaway Jr.
This is because earlier this month, ESPN reported that Nuggets traded Dario Šarić to the Sacramento Kings in exchange of Jonas Valančiūnas, a center who can serve as a backup to Jokic. The purchase has not been made official yet.
This offseason, Jokic is back in Serbia, the country he left at a very young age, and lately, he was spotted celebrating the success of one of his race horses.
