The recent shake-up in the Denver Nuggets’ front office hasn’t swayed two-time reigning NBA MVP Nikola’s Jokic’s stance when it comes to his long-term future with the franchise. Even though the guy who drafted him — team president Tim Connelly — is now heading to Minnesota, Jokic still plans to sign a supermax contract extension with the Nuggets if when it’s offered by Denver over the offseason, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick. Jokic is eligible for a five-year, $260 million extension that would kick in following the 2022-23 season. He currently has one year and $32 million remaining on his current contract.
From The Athletic:
After Jokic publicly stated his desire to sign the extension late last month, sources say the 27-year-old has reiterated his long-term commitment to the franchise this week and made clear his belief in the organization’s future in the wake of Connelly’s exit. Multiple sources tell The Athletic that when the Nuggets offer Jokic the five-year, $260 million supermax deal in July, the All-NBA center plans to sign the contract.
While discussing his future with the franchise last month, Jokic made it clear that he was happy with the direction of the organization and the relationships he has formed within, and that he indeed planned to put pen to paper if an extension was offered.
“I would like it, of course, but it’s not something that I’m deciding,” Jokic said about the extension. “I think of course if it’s offered — if (the) offer is on the table — of course I’m going to accept it because I really like the organization and really like the people who work here.
“I’m in (a) really good relationship with people who work here, and a good relationship with everybody from the owner to, let’s say, the equipment manager,” he added. “I think we have something that we’re building. It actually feels really good.”
Jokic has been with the Nuggets since the team selected him with the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. During his time with the team he has gone from a relatively unknown prospect to the league’s back-to-back MVP and arguably one of the best — and certainly most unique — big men the league has ever seen. Keeping him in Denver for the foreseeable future is obviously a huge win for the Nuggets.
Once Jokic is signed long-term, it will be up to Denver’s new-look front office to build a better team around him. The Nuggets have made the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, but they have been unable to advance out of the Western Conference. In those four appearances, Denver lost in the first round once, the second round twice and the conference finals once. Getting Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back healthy will certainly help Denver’s cause moving forward, but the Nuggets will likely need more than that to truly contend in the ever-competitive West.
Courtesy; CBS Sports
