The Los Angeles Lakers‘ dream of pairing Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic is reportedly dead in the water.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, multiple league sources confirm Jokic plans to sign a five-year, $360M contract extension with Denver next summer — effectively crushing the Lakers’ hopes of acquiring the Serbian star.
“Every league source I’ve spoken to over the years and in recent weeks has reiterated that no one really expects Jokic to leave Denver,” O’Connor said on his podcast.
“Waiting also makes financial sense: Next summer, he could sign a projected five-year, $360 million deal – the richest deal in NBA history.”
The insider added that he “believes” Jokic’s comments from earlier this summer when the three-time MVP said his “desire is to play the rest of my life in Denver.” Jokic made those comments after declining to sign a four-year, $278M extension this summer, and instead waiting until next year to cash-in on a five-year, $360M deal.
Nikola Jokic to Stay Put
O’Connor emphasized that Jokic is committed to Denver regardless of how the Nuggets‘ season pans out. The Nuggets suffered a first-round playoff series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, following back-to-back second-round exits.
“But his desire to stay shouldn’t make Denver comfortable with wasting another year of his prime,” O’Connor opined. “The Nuggets need to give him a supporting cast that can help turn that expected commitment into another championship.”
O’Connor, though, feels Jokic may eventually get frustrated (see Giannis Antetokounmpo) if his Nuggets struggle to build a legitimate championship contender to compete with the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
“Never say never. Jokic could sign elsewhere for a projected $267 million over four years, compared to roughly $278 million over the same span in Denver,” he informed.
“A team in a state without income tax could narrow that gap, even accounting for taxes on road games. Denver’s biggest financial advantage is the roughly $82 million guaranteed for the fifth year of his deal. If Denver can’t get back into contention, a better chance for Jokic to win could make that tradeoff worth considering.”
Lakers Target Nikola Jokic
The Lakers have been linked to Jokic ever since they pulled off a trade for Luka Doncic during the Feb. 2025 trade deadline. Close friends off the court, Jokic and Doncic have often referred to each other as a hypothetical dream teammate in interviews.
“I don’t want to leave Denver… If Luka gets pissed off in Dallas, he can come,” Jokic said in 2024 when Doncic was still a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
Doncic picked Jokic as his “ultimate” teammate in a hypothetical 2-on-2 game in an interview earlier this year, further fuelling chatter of a union on the Lakers.
Technically, the Lakers won’t have cap room to pursue a deal for Nikola Jokic next summer should the Serbian choose to link up with Doncic. However, they can use the contracts of Austin Reaves and/or Walker Kessler to build a sign-and-trade package.
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