Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets’ season may have just ended, but the speculation has only just begun.
Bound for the second round, the Los Angeles Lakers perhaps watched in shock as their rivals were bounced in the first round by the injury-ravaged Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sure, the Lakers are preparing to play against that juggernaut down in Oklahoma City, but they’ll never be out of the loop when it comes to nabbing some marquee names via trade or free agency.
As L.A. hopes to put up a fight against the Thunder, the Nuggets enter an offseason with the Jokic question hanging over it like a thick, gloomy cloud.
In what was supposed to be a season full of promise for the Mile High Hoopers, they find themselves bound for an early vacation while wondering what comes next for their three-time MVP.
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Jokic, 31, is still under contract with the Nuggets for at least one more season. But after the 2026-27 season, Jokic will have the option to either return to Denver or explore elsewhere.
GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 30: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
That is why all the swirl around Jokic potentially joining the Lakers has suddenly caught fire.
If L.A. secured Luka Doncic in a trade — a deal that is looking better and better by the day — who is to say the gilded franchise with 17 NBA championships can’t pull off another Earth-rattling transaction?
At least for now, however, it appears the Lakers will have to hang back with their Jokic aspirations.
According to renowned NBA insider Shams Charania, the expectation in Denver is Jokic will sign a contract extension. But when he’ll do so remains to be seen.
“The Denver Nuggets, from their top brass down through the organization, believe Nikola Jokic at his word,” Charania reported on the “Stephen A. Smith” show. “He wants to be there. This is not a situation where he’s talking about potentially leaving, looking elsewhere, or saying he needs the team to do certain things. [Jokic] is very clear, internally and externally, that he’s there no matter what and that he’s re-signing.”
If Jokic opts to ink an extension with the Nuggets, he’ll receive a four-year deal worth nearly $280 million. We are talking about an average of roughly $70 million annually.
That’s quite the heavy bag to pass on if Jokic instead decides to explore his options.
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Charania’s report doesn’t at all slam the door on the Lakers’ hopes to acquire Jokic.
Jokic will be 32 next season and is starting to knock on the door of the latter stages of his prime. Like virtually every generational talent before him, Jokic will demand the Nuggets assemble a contending roster.
If they don’t, that’s just what might force Jokic’s hand to reject an extension and ask to be traded. Or, he could play out the upcoming 2026-27 season and decline his player-option in the following summer, allowing him to enter unrestricted free agency.
Of course, the Lakers already have Doncic, a prized player in his prime. Doncic, who is a close friend of Jokic, could play a role in recruiting his buddy to Los Angeles. We’ve seen many such scenarios in recent NBA history.
The Lakers are still playing and have bigger goals on their minds right now, but the idea that the Lakers will pursue Jokic in the near future cannot be dismissed.
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