THE Denver Nuggets spent the offseason building the kind of depth Nikola Jokic wanted — the same sort of roster balance the Oklahoma City Thunder showcased in their seven-game victory over Denver en route to the NBA championship last season.
The upgrades could pay off not only with a deeper playoff rotation and fresher legs but also with a massive contract extension for their franchise star next summer.
Jokic passed on a chance to sign a four-year, $212 million extension this offseason. By waiting until 2026, he becomes eligible for a four-year, $293 million deal.
“I mean, I don’t think about it,” Jokic said. “I think those contract extensions come as a reward, as something that is natural to the sport. Especially in today’s NBA, how you see how the salary cap is growing and everything.”
Jokic, entering the third season of his five-year, $276 million supermax contract, didn’t directly say if he’ll sign the extension next summer but made his intentions clear: “My plan is to be a Nugget forever.”
The two-time MVP appears reinvigorated by Denver’s offseason moves. The Nuggets removed the interim tag from head coach David Adelman, replaced GM Calvin Booth with the tandem of Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace, and reshaped the roster after trading Michael Porter Jr. to the
Brooklyn Nets.
“I mean, they definitely changed the team,” Jokic said.
In the Porter deal, Denver landed sharpshooting forward Cam Johnson and cleared salary cap space to address roster needs. The Nuggets also brought back Bruce Brown, a key piece of their 2023 championship run, signed veteran guard Tim Hardaway Jr., and traded for center Jonas Valanciunas to bolster their frontcourt — and potentially pair with Jokic.
Additionally, 2024 first-round pick DaRon Holmes is set to return from the torn Achilles tendon that sidelined him during his rookie season.
“Bruce is back. We won with him. Need to save his career again,” Jokic quipped. “We have Cam and Jonas — we have a bunch of new guys. We have Holmes healthy. We’ll see. It’s a new energy, new beginning for us. Hopefully, we can do something.”
Brown, who left Denver after the title run to sign with Indiana and was later traded to Toronto, admitted he had wanted to return to the Nuggets soon after departing.
“Indy was great for me when I was there but it was only three months,” Brown said. “And once I got to Toronto we were on two different roads, right? They were rebuilding ... and I was past that time. So, I think right away, as soon as I got there, I wanted to come back.” / FROM THE WIRES