Denver Nuggets fans shouldn’t be panicking about Nikola Jokic’s future with the team after he bypassed the chance to sign a four-year, $212 million contract extension this summer, as the three-time league MVP reaffirmed his love for the organization during Media Day.
By waiting until next offseason, Jokic will be eligible for a mammoth extension worth up to $300 million, which he’ll probably get because of his immense impact on and off the court.
“I mean, I don’t think about it,” Jokic said via the Associated Press. “I think those contract extensions come as a reward, as something that is natural to the sport. Especially in today’s NBA how you see how the salary cap is growing and everything.”
“My plan is to be a Nugget forever, so that’s my answer,” he added.
Denver Nuggets News: David Adelman reveals new lineup plan involving Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic has been the Denver Nuggets’ de facto center since he seized the starting job, and he hasn’t really played alongside another bruising center in the lineup. According to head coach David Adelman, that could change with the offseason signing of Jonas Valanciunas.
“Those two guys will play together at certain points.” Adelman said of Jokic and Valanciunas via SI’s Jared Koch. “I think changing defenses allows that. I’d like to see how people guard those two guys. I think that’d be a very interesting decsion of who you put on who.”
“If you put a smaller guy on Valanciunas, he’s going to completely destroy him on the offensive glass, and we all know what Nikola can do shooting the three and spreading the floor. So, you can do different things with those two guys,” he added.
