DENVER — Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has decided to delay a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets this summer, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither Jokic nor the Nuggets have addressed the matter publicly. It doesn't affect Jokic's status in Denver in the short term: He has at least two years remaining on his deal — $55.2 million this season and $59 million in 2026-27, along with a player option in 2027-28 worth nearly $63 million.
Jokic became eligible Tuesday to sign an extension that could have added three years and around $212 million to his contract. By waiting until next summer to sign, Jokic would be eligible to add four years to his deal at even more money than this summer's extension would have guaranteed.
The Denver Post first reported the decision from Jokic.
Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, explained earlier this offseason the team was going to present both options to Jokic — and respect his decision.
''I'm not sure if he's going to accept it or not, because we're also going to explain every financial parameter around him signing now versus signing later,'' Kroenke said.
The 30-year-old from Serbia is coming off a historic season in which he became the first NBA center to average a triple-double — 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists — and finished runner-up to Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP voting. The only other players who averaged a triple-double are Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson.
It was a trying season for Jokic and the Nuggets in which coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth were fired with three games remaining in the regular season.