Nuggets Shouldn't Worry About EuroLeague Club Eyeing Nikola Jokic

There has already been enough talk about Nikola Jokic's suddenly uncertain future with the Denver Nuggets after turning down a contract extension in each of the past two offseasons, and now his future with the franchise is making headlines for a different reason.

Dimitrios Giannakopoulos, owner of Panathinaikos BC in Athens, Greece, told the "Euro Insiders" podcast that he has already tried to pry Jokic from Denver once and will attempt to do so again next offseason.

"There is one player who remains a dream of mine, whom I haven't signed yet, but I will sign next year. It's Jokic, the best player in the world," Giannakopoulos said (via BasketNews). "... This year, I tried to make a proposal. ... People are going to say, 'OK, now he's joking'. I did make a very serious proposal this year, both to his team and to him. I got a rejection. ... Let's wait until next year."

Panathinaikos owner says he made a “very serious offer” to the Nuggets for Nikola Jokic:

“There is one player who remains a dream of mine, whom I haven’t signed yet, but I will sign next year. It’s Jokic, the best player in the world… I tried to buy out the last year of his… pic.twitter.com/ybIQKFugTB
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 10, 2026

Any talk about Jokic potentially leaving Denver is obviously going to turn some heads, but this is one conversation the Nuggets do not need to stress about.

Jokic is not leaving the NBA

By holding off on a contract extension in each of the past two offseasons, Jokic has become eligible for a historic payday next year. In the 2027 offseason, Jokic will be eligible for a contract worth around $360 million over five years, which would set the NBA record for the largest contract ever. Is he turning that down to sign in Greece? No.

No matter what Giannakopoulos could pitch to Jokic, the three-time MVP is not leaving the NBA. Sure, the Nuggets might have to worry about Jokic leaving Denver for another NBA team next summer if things turn sour with the Nuggets' organization during the 2026-27 season, but this offer from Panathinaikos is nothing for the franchise to worry about.

Apr 30, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Of course, anyone can respect the effort to recruit Jokic to Greece, and maybe one day down the line, as he nears the end of his basketball career, he might consider it. It would be the most shocking move ever if Jokic left the NBA next year, but after his next contract, Giannakopoulos could think about revisiting this conversation.

Notable NBA players to make the jump

Granted, an NBA player making the jump to EuroLeague is not out of the ordinary, but we certainly have not seen any superstar of Jokic's caliber do so. Here are some notable stars who did make that move, although none of them were in their prime like Jokic is.

Pau Gasol (2021, Barcelona)
Kemba Walker (2023, AS Monaco)
Serge Ibaka (2023, Bayern Munich)
Jonas Valanciunas (2026, Zalgiris Kaunas)
Evan Fournier (2024, Olympiacos)
Dominique Wilkins (1995, Panathinaikos)

The most comparable move would be Wilkins leaving the NBA for the same club that is eyeing Jokic, Panathinaikos, although that was still much later in his career. In case it wasn't obvious, we can safely say that Jokic will not be following in those footsteps, at least not yet.

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