Monday brought a little clarity in Denver, a little tension in Detroit, and another hard lesson for a former lottery pick trying to find his footing.
The biggest sigh of relief came from Nikola Jokić, who made it plain that he plans to stay with the Nuggets. “I’m going to sign next year,” Jokić said, adding “if they want me.”
He also made clear that skipping an extension this offseason was about the business side, not any wavering on Denver. That decision positions him for a five-year deal worth about $360 million next summer, an average of $72 million per season.
Jokić’s comments came against a backdrop of some roster churn in Denver. The Nuggets moved Peyton Watson for a 2031 first-round pick and brought in DeMar DeRozan, though there’s obvious skepticism about how much a 37-year old midrange shooter changes the equation. Even so, the organization has leaned into continuity after the disappointing first-round exit, with EVP of basketball operations Ben Tenzer saying the team resisted the urge to overreact.
Jokić, for his part, didn’t exactly rewrite his postmortem from the Minnesota series, but he did sound committed to the path ahead. After the playoff loss, he said the team wasn’t close to winning. On Monday, he explained the frustration behind that line while still expressing belief in what Denver can be if it stays healthy and available.
“Of course my reaction is going to be we are not close because I was mad at me, rather myself, coaches, players, team,” Jokić said. “Because I think we don't have so much time and I think that we don't appreciate when we have a good team or we have a chance when we have an opportunity.
And I heard [Nuggets coach David Adelman] said, ‘If you're in the mix, you have a chance.’ So as long as we are a mix and hopefully we can stay healthy, I think that's something that hopefully we can do a much better job as individuals, as players, as a team staff and as an organization to somehow be more ready.
Not ready, just to be available.”
In Philadelphia, LeBron James offered a very different kind of surprise. He said he once pictured himself finishing his career at Madison Square Garden, but the Knicks’ championship changed that thought process.
“I was like, 'Hey, I can't.' I couldn't do it."
Now in a Sixers uniform, James sounded energized by the situation around him. He said the group has arrived at camp with a shared purpose and dismissed questions about his role by pointing to his own versatility.
“Everybody's kind of on the same page of the direction that the organization wants to be in,” said James. “Whatever the team needs for me to do.
I think the luxury of my game is that I can do everything. Literally I can do everything.”
He also made it clear why he left Los Angeles for Philadelphia in the first place.
“I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round,” James said. “I know that for sure. So work needs to be done and I'm ready to put the work in.”
The other major storyline Monday centered on Jalen Duren and the Pistons, and it did not move much toward a resolution. Detroit president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon praised the 6’10” center as “a huge reason for our success the last two seasons” and said the team “was excited to have him back, when he gets back.” But that optimism didn’t come with a breakthrough on contract terms.
The issue is money, and plenty of it. Detroit is reportedly willing to offer Duren about $200 million over five years, but his side believes there is more on the table. Sacramento and Milwaukee have interest in Duren, according to a source, and both would likely increase the offer if the Pistons were willing to explore a sign-and-trade.
For now, Detroit is standing firm. Sources say the Pistons have no appetite to move Duren and believe they’ve already put market value on the table for the 22-year old center.
That leaves Duren with a stark choice: take the Pistons’ offer or bet on himself again by signing the one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer. That route would cost him millions in guaranteed money, but it would also set him up for unrestricted free agency next summer.
Elsewhere, Charlotte moved on from Rob Dillingham, waiving the former lottery pick and closing the door, at least for now, on a rough two-year stretch. Dillingham went eighth overall in 2024 and never really found his way in Minnesota, losing the coaching staff’s trust early. The Timberwolves sent him to Chicago in a deal for Ayo Dosunmu last February, and the Bulls then flipped him for Buddy Hield before Charlotte cut ties.
The numbers tell the story. Dillingham shot 39.6% between Minnesota and Chicago last season and made just 31.6% of his threes.
Even so, he is only 21 and still has the quickness teams covet at the position. One NBA scout thought Charlotte was too quick to let him go.
“When he lost the staff in Minnesota, it was over,” the scout said. “Their view, they thought they have Mike Conley, this kid will learn from Mike, and he'll kind of transition as Mike Conley.
It'd be the same type of guard Mike is, that speed push guard who would learn from Mike and then take the reins from Mike and then Mike would back him up for a little. None of that stuff worked out.
“Look, he’s very light. And I think they felt like he didn't have the point guard instincts that they were hoping for because he played more of a scorer in college than a point guard.
And I think Mike aged out before Rob was ready, because Mike that last year wasn't even playing. But if I was Charlotte, I'd be giving him a shot.
I mean, speed guards in this league right now are usable.”
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