Nuggets fans have heard this song before: Nikola Jokic leaving town, Jokic eyeing another team, Jokic somehow not ending his career in Denver. And yet the man himself has already been clear about where this is headed.
During the offseason while playing for his native Serbia, Jokic addressed the chatter. Then, at the team’s media day a couple of weeks ago, he shut it down again with a simple line: "I'm going to sign next year."
That should have been enough. But the talk keeps surfacing, including in a new The Athletic piece from John Hollinger, who wrote that "there is a justifiable paranoia in the Mile High City that the shortcomings of the rest of the roster may cause his eye to wander."
The problem with that theory is straightforward: Jokic has never given Nuggets fans a reason to believe he wants out. He has not said he’s trying to leave Denver at any point in his career with the team. By every indication in the source material, he loves Denver, loves the fans, and feels at home in the city.
There’s also the money. Jokic passed on signing his extension this summer, calling it a "business" decision. Next summer, Denver can offer him more than any other team can - an NBA record contract worth nearly $360 million, along with a no-trade clause, which is rare in the league.
That lines up with another thing Jokic said this summer: he wanted to "stay in Denver for the rest of my life [career]."
Nothing in the public record here suggests a departure. If anything, the only real question is whether Jokic retires before ever wearing another jersey. The source even frames his horses back in Serbia as the only possible pull strong enough to make anyone pause.
For now, though, the expectation is simple. Jokic says he’ll sign next year, and the belief here is that he’ll stay with the Nuggets for the rest of his career, likely through the five-year, $359.5 million extension he’s expected to sign next summer.
Until that signature arrives, the rumors will keep floating. But Jokic’s words have been consistent enough that Nuggets fans can treat them as the final word.
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Christian Braun Is Putting A Real Nuggets Rotation Decision On The Table
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Julian Strawther has given the staff more to consider on the offensive side, while Alpha Diallo has made a case with his defense, creating a bit of pressure on a spot Braun had seemed positioned to keep. None of that changes what Braun has meant to the Nuggets, but it does mean his hold on his current role is no longer completely settled. If the regular season begins the way preseason has gone, Denver may have to decide whether to ride through the rough patch or start adjusting the rotation sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
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Alpha Diallo and Julian Strawther are the two names still pushing for that opening, and both have made a case in different ways. Diallo has brought defensive versatility, while Strawther has answered with three-point shooting, leaving Denver with a familiar preseason dilemma: deciding whether the final bench chair should go to the player who changes the game with stops or the one who stretches the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets May Have Found A New Edge Teams Wont Enjoy Facing
The Nuggets have started preseason with a familiar kind of advantage, and it is one opponents tend to notice quickly. Denver has gotten to the line at a much higher rate in its recent games, including 46 free throws against the Bulls and 42 against the Jazz, a sign that the rosters size and physical approach are already showing up the way coach David Adelman likes.
Bryce Hopkins has been part of that early edge, bringing a bruising style that helps put defenders in foul trouble. The next step is making the most of those trips, especially with bench players still working to clean up their free throw shooting. If Denver can keep forcing whistles and turn those chances into points, it could add another layer to an offense that already makes life hard for opposing teams. [Read more 🡒]