Nikola Jokic Says Exactly What Nuggets Fans Needed to Hear at Media Day

The Denver Nuggets had a bit of a dramatic 2026 offseason. While no major changes were made to the roster, with the exception of Peyton Watson, there was plenty of talk surrounding Nikola Jokic's contract situation.

Jokic, a three-time NBA MVP, turned down the opportunity to sign a contract extension with the Nuggets in each of the last two offseasons, and now he is expected to wait until 2027 to commit to Denver for the next half-decade. For most superstars around the league, the alarms would be sounding in this situation. However, both Jokic and the Nuggets organization are confident in their relationship.

At media day on Monday, Jokic confirmed that he will be signing a contract with the Nuggets next offseason, telling Denver fans exactly what they needed to hear.

"I'm gonna sign next year if they want me," Jokic said.

"I'm going to sign next year."

- Nikola Jokic just now at Media Day 🃏✍️ pic.twitter.com/xQ5ZqwALu5
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) September 28, 2026

Next offseason, Jokic will be eligible for a five-year, $360 million contract, marking the richest deal in NBA history. Of course, it would be shocking for any player to turn down a historic figure like that, especially someone who loves the team they play for. Jokic has never shown any signs of resentment toward the Nuggets and has not indicated he would ever leave, even during these contract talks.

While Nuggets fans will feel better once Jokic actually signs the contract, this verbal commitment should be enough to settle things down for now and put this contract drama to bed until next offseason.

A pure "business" decision

There was some external concern that Jokic was waiting to sign a contract until he knew the Nuggets were going in the right direction. To be fair, it would be reasonable for Jokic to do that, considering the Nuggets have not had any playoff success since winning it all in 2023, but the superstar center confirmed that his decision had nothing to do with that.

Nikola Jokic is expected to sign a 5-year, $360 Million deal with the Denver Nuggets in the summer of 2027, per @KevinOConnor

This will be the richest contract in NBA history pic.twitter.com/YkPicWhJrq
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 27, 2026

When asked about his decision to wait, Jokic had just one word in response: "Business."

He assured that he had talked to Denver's front office brass about this decision to wait and made it clear they are all on the same page.

"I talked to Ben [Tenzer], I talked to Jon [Wallace], I talked to Josh [Kroenke]. They know my opinion, and I was being more open about it, and hopefully they trust me," Jokic said.

While it would make sense for a player of Jokic's caliber to wait to make sure this franchise is heading in the right direction, it also makes complete sense for this to simply be a "business" decision. Sure, Jokic could've signed a lucrative deal in each of the past two offseasons, but by waiting until 2027, he is guaranteeing himself a lot more money.

It's also worth mentioning that none of this drama around his contract has been created by him or his team. Sometimes when superstars want money, they create the drama to put more pressure on the franchise. However, this was all outside noise as people tried to stir things up with one of the most drama-free stars in the league.

Nuggets fans should breathe a sigh of relief to hear Jokic talking about his contract and finally putting this conversation to rest ahead of the 2026-27 season.

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