Nikola Jokic may be the next superstar to face the league’s new favorite conversation: how much money is too much money if taking a little less could help build a better team?
That debate has already landed on Jalen Brunson, Victor Wembanyama and now Stephen Curry, who just signed a two-year, $116 million extension with the Golden State Warriors. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, that deal saves the team about $10 million per year and fits the growing pattern of stars giving their teams more breathing room under the salary cap.
Denver Nuggets fans could dream about Jokic doing the same. But that does not appear to be the direction this is headed.
Brunson kicked things off with the New York Knicks when he signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension a year early. If he had waited another season, he could have landed a four-year, $207.8 million max deal instead. By moving early, he left more than $12 million per season on the table, and the Knicks used the added flexibility to help build the roster that produced their first NBA championship in 53 years.
Wembanyama followed the same path this summer, agreeing to a five-year, $252 million extension with the San Antonio Spurs. That choice left $51 million on the table and gave San Antonio roughly $10 million per season in extra room for roster construction.
Jokic, though, is in a different spot. He can sign for less, but there’s no indication he needs to.
The Nuggets star delayed his extension this year so he could position himself to add a fifth year next summer and turn a four-year deal into a five-year one. That’s the simplest read on why he waited, unless he suddenly changes course after saying he wants “to be in Denver for the rest of his career.”
That extra year matters because the money gets massive. Jokic is eligible for a five-year, $359.5 million contract.
If he waits until next summer, he can also decline his player option, avoid extending now, sign a new deal on the same terms and tack on a no-trade clause. All signs point that way, and the expectation is that he should be taken at his word about staying in Denver for the long haul.
Still, if Jokic takes the full 35% of the salary cap per-season max, the Nuggets will have even less room to maneuver in an already difficult roster-building situation. For a franchise that has been notoriously cheap in the past, that could leave him boxed into a team that has a harder time adding talent around him.
At the same time, that would mean trusting the Nuggets to use any extra $10 million or so each year wisely. Jokic has no obligation to give money back, and the likely outcome is that he takes the max, secures the no-trade clause and makes sure the rest of his career stays in Denver.
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For the Nuggets, the bigger concern is what comes next. Rival teams are already keeping an eye on Jokics contract timeline ahead of next summer, when he could sign an extension or potentially head toward free agency, and analysts are already mapping out the kind of historic deal that could be waiting if he stays put in Denver. The only real question now is how long the Nuggets can keep a player of his stature comfortable enough to make staying the obvious choice. [Read more 🡒]
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Still, the story does not fully go away just because Jokic has eased one fear. The Nuggets can feel better knowing where his intent appears to be, but the calendar still leaves room for the unexpected, with circumstances potentially changing before he has the chance to put a new contract in place in July 2027. For a franchise built around him, that means the relief is real, but it is not yet final. [Read more 🡒]