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Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets puts up a shot against LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Insert an offseason jam-packed with buzz and drama for Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Speculation on Jokic’s future has kicked in after the Nuggets’ season ended after a first round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.

The Nuggets entered the opening round best-of-seven series as the favorite to not only dispatch the Wolves in round one but to make it as far as the Western Conference finals. Some even pegged the team as this year’s Western Conference champion. 

Things have suddenly come crashing down for the Nuggets. As is the case any time a team with lofty expectations falls mighty short, it leaves everyone wondering what’s ahead.

Will Jokic re-sign? Will he hold off for now, and if he does, what does that mean?

Are Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon expendable? 

What about guys like Cam Johnson and Tim Hardaway Jr. who were brought in last offseason to help Denver make another title push? 

Decisions, decisions, decisions. 

GettyDenver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic Urged to Think Twice About Contract Extension

For now, nothing matters more to the Denver franchise than Jokic’s future. The Nuggets have the 31-year-old star under contract through the upcoming 2026-27 season, but that by no means signals time to relax. 

If Jokic decides he isn’t ready to commit to the Nuggets beyond next season, that’s when an outpour of speculation will start to dominate the NBA universe. 

Any time a team has a generational talent, the expectation, fair or unfair, is virtually championship or failure. The Nuggets have demonstrated they can assemble a roster good enough to win a title, which only adds to the pressure this offseason. 

That is just one of the perhaps many reasons why Jokic ought to hang tight before he signs an extension in Denver. 

In a detailed article published on CBSSports.com, writer Sam Quinn argues Jokic may be better suited to skip signing an extension until the Nuggets make considerable changes to the roster. 

And if they don’t, it potentially opens the door for Jokic to join his fellow European comrade in Los Angeles.

“By now, you surely know the Lakers have carved out the cap flexibility to pursue a max player in the summer of 2027,” Quinn wrote. “They also employ Jokić’s friend Luka Dončić. Realistically, Jokić can play anywhere he wants. There is not a team in the NBA — save perhaps the Thunder — that would not move heaven and Earth to either convince Denver to trade him to them or clear the cap space to sign him outright.”

Pie in the Sky or Possible Reality?

It’s the NBA. Never, ever say never. 

Surely no one could’ve predicted Doncic would be in a Lakers uniform one day. Why can’t L.A. go get Jokic? 

The Lakers have been notorious for attracting marquee talent for decades. Considering that alone, it can’t floor anyone if Jokic finds his way into a purple and gold jersey.

Yes, it would take a lot for that to happen. 

Jokic could play next season in Denver and even inform the franchise he doesn’t intend to re-sign. He could then decline his player-option for 2027-28 season and enter unrestricted free agency. 

That is about the most direct path to being a Laker.

He could also decide he’s seen enough in Denver and ask to be traded to the Lakers (or anywhere else) as soon as this offseason. 

It would certainly break the Nuggets’ spirits if Jokic decides he wants to be moved, but they would also get a potentially historic haul in a Jokic trade. 

The bottom line is the Nuggets have been a second-round or earlier exit every year since winning a title four seasons ago. That screams change needs to be made. Maybe even sweeping changes.

The league’s landscape is ever-changing. Jokic changing teams this summer could create a new monster anywhere in the league.