Nikola Jokic says he will sign with Nuggets next year, doesn't need to see direction of team

Bennett Durando, The Denver Post on Sep 28, 2026

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DENVER — Nikola Jokic on Monday said his decision to delay signing a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets this offseason was entirely business-driven, reaffirming his plan to sign a five-year deal with the franchise next summer.

Jokic shut down any notion that his choice to delay signing for a second consecutive year was influenced by wanting to see the direction of the team this season.

“I’m gonna sign next year,” he said, adding for comedic effect after a pause: “If they want me.”

Jokic could have inked a four-year extension with the Nuggets in July, but next summer, he’ll be eligible to sign for an extra year and an estimated $360 million, which would be the most lucrative contract in NBA history.

Uncertainty has nonetheless swirled around his decision to delay because the Nuggets are coming off a first-round exit from the NBA playoffs last season — their first time failing to win a series since 2022.

Behind the scenes, the Nuggets have remained bullish about the mutual trust in their relationship with the 31-year-old franchise player, according to team sources. Jokic shook his head when asked if he was at all concerned by his contract status being a distraction for the team this season.

“I talked to Ben (Tenzer). I talked to Jon (Wallace). I talked to Josh (Kroenke). They know my opinion,” Jokic said. “I was being more than open about it, and hopefully they trust me.”

If Jokic signs the extension, he’ll be under contract with the team that drafted him until he’s 37 years old. It would enable the three-time MVP to inch closer to spending his entire career in only one uniform, a rare distinction in the modern NBA. He was asked Monday about the significance of possibly joining Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Steph Curry among the most prominent one-team players in recent history.

“I like to say when I came here, there was not a lot of people in the stands, and now we have 150 sellouts in a row, something like that,” Jokic said. “So it really means (a lot) to me that I was here when we basically were a so-so team, and now we’ve grown, we won a championship and we still have the capability, opportunity to compete at a high level and win a championship. So for me, it’s a legacy. You want to be legendary. You want to be remembered. So I think that’s the way you do it — in my way of thinking.”

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