DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic reiterated his pledge to sign a long-term extension with the Denver Nuggets next summer. Only this time, he added a caveat.
“If they want me,” the three-time NBA MVP cracked Monday at media day.
The decision to hold off on a new deal makes financial sense, but it has created angst among the fan base. By waiting until next summer, Jokic can sign a five-year supermax contract that would be worth in the vicinity of $350 million.
By waiting until next summer, though, there's always that chance he could exit should the team struggle.
“I've been more than open about it. Hopefully, they trust me," Jokic said in reference to the front office and staying put.
The face of the franchise is coming off a season in which he averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists as he finished runner-up in the MVP voting to Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Jokic began in Denver. He won the city its first NBA title in 2023. He has no designs on leaving town. His preference is to follow in similar footsteps as Stephen Curry, the two-time MVP who recently signed an extension to remain with the Golden State Warriors, the team that drafted him.
“I was here when we basically were a so-so team and we won a championship, and we still have a capability and have opportunity to compete on a high level, and to win a championship,” said the 31-year-old Jokic, who was taken in the second round in 2014. “For me, it's legacy. You want to be legendary, and you want to be remembered, so I think that’s the way how you do it, in my way of thinking,”
Jokic still enjoys the grind as much as ever. Well, the games, anyway, and being with teammates such as Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, who helped him deliver that NBA title three years ago.
“Fighting with your friends against other teams," Jokic said, “is always a fun thing to do.”
The front office shares Jokic's view that he will be around for the long haul.
“We have no concerns,” said Ben Tenzer, the executive vice president of basketball operations for Denver.
But what if the Nuggets get off to a rocky start?
“We have no concerns there,” Tenzer reiterated.
The Nuggets are chalking up being eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round last April to untimely injuries and a “bad 10 days, that cost us our season,” coach David Adelman explained. They're leaning more into the notion they won 54 games and were the No. 3 seed.
“You're going to have these years where you play really well and the ending is not storybook. It's the exact opposite — it's a horror story," said Adelman, whose squad has made the playoffs in eight straight seasons. "I believe we're in the mix, like we've been throughout all these years.”
On the injury front, Braun said an ankle that hampered him last season is healthy again.
“I feel like I’ve grinded hard enough on it all summer and put myself in a good spot,” the high-flying guard said. “I’m ready to go.”
Same with Gordon, who's been dealing with soft-tissue ailments, including a tight calf during the playoffs.
“I got into the league at 18 years old, and I could roll out of bed and play 48 minutes, and then go back to bed,” the 31-year-old Gordon said. "Then wake up the next day like I didn’t play, ready for a back-to-back. I used to make fun of all the old guys for having to get to the gym an hour earlier, two hours early, and do all these warm ups and cool-down exercises, all these like funky tricks of the trade that they picked up throughout their time.
“Now I have a bunch of tricks of the trade. I need to be here much earlier and stay much later, and I need to invest a lot more time warming up and a lot more time cooling down, so I can be available for these guys.”
The Nuggets saw promising small forward Peyton Watson end up in Cleveland as part of a five-team deal in late August. Denver did bring in 37-year-old veteran DeMar DeRozan, a six-time All-Star looking for his first championship in his 18th season.
He picked the Nuggets for a reason — Jokic & Co.
“When you have the best player in the world," DeRozan said, “anything's possible."
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