JULY 9: The Nuggets have officially signed Jokic to his new mega-deal, the team announced today in a press release.
“It’s not every day that you find a player with the incredible skillset to lead an NBA franchise that Nikola has, but also the character and personality to match that,” Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke said in a statement. “Seeing Nikola grow on and off the basketball court is something in which our organization has taken immense pride, and we were determined to do whatever it took to keep Nikola in a Nuggets uniform for a very long time.”
JUNE 30: Jokic has agreed to a five-year, maximum-salary deal with the Nuggets, according to reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). A full max contract for Jokic projects to be worth $147,710,050.
Denver also reached an agreement to re-sign Barton.
JUNE 25: The Nuggets will decline Nikola Jokic‘s team option for 2018/19 in order to make him a restricted free agent, as we detailed on Sunday. Once Jokic officially reaches free agency, he and the team intend to finalize a five-year, maximum-salary contract, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
Denver’s plans for Jokic come as no surprise, given the comments made by president of basketball operations Tim Connelly following last Thursday’s draft. At the time, he suggested the Nuggets would do all they could to make sure they locked up their star center for as many years as possible.
“Nikola’s going to be here for a long, long time,” Connelly said. “I think whatever we do, we’re going to ensure he’s here as long as possible. When that moment happens, we’re going to talk to Nikola and his brothers and his representation. He’ll be in Denver for a long, long time. He’ll be buying (a home) here.”
Had they simply exercised their 2018/19 option on Jokic, the Nuggets could have kept him under team control for a mere $1,600,520 next season. However, taking that route would have risked alienating Jokic and his representatives, and would have put him on track to unrestricted free agency in 2019, at which point he would have been free to join any other team. By declining that option, Denver ensures that it will have the right of first refusal, though the team will simply negotiate directly with Jokic’s camp rather than waiting for an offer sheet.
Jokic, 23, enjoyed the best season of his three-year career in 2017/18, setting new career highs in PPG (18.5), RPG (10.7), APG (6.1), and 3PT% (.396), among other categories. While the former second-round pick isn’t an elite defender, he’s one of the NBA’s best frontcourt play-makers, and will be paired up front with a strong defensive presence in Paul Millsap.
As for the exact value of Jokic’s contract, a five-year deal can be worth up to $146.45MM based on a $101MM cap projection. Such an agreement would start at $25.25MM, eventually increasing to $33.33MM by 2022/23. We outlined the exact year-by-year breakdown when we took an early look at maximum salary projections earlier this year.
Adding $25.25MM to the Nuggets’ salary commitments for 2018/19 will increase the team’s total guaranteed money to $131MM+ for 12 players. That figure doesn’t account for Will Barton, who will be an unrestricted free agent. If Denver wants to re-sign Barton, the club will likely make a strong push to shed another salary, with Kenneth Faried‘s and Darrell Arthur‘s expiring contracts serving as the most obvious trade pieces.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Denver needs to get a serious wing player to compliment Joker / Murray / Millsap.
Trevor Ariza would be excellent. They would make top 4 in the west right away.
The drafted focusing on wings, no need to dip into the bank and sign somebody, especially a player like Ariza looking for 50mil
Top 4 in the West right away by adding Ariza. Not even close man. Ariza doesn’t turn a team who missed the playoffs into a legit contender. GS, Houston, Utah, OKC and Minn all still have more talent.
No money for Ariza, he’s looking for more than the mid-level.
Think Denver’s going to need to make a trade or look at a Rudy Gay type player.
Nice player, not special by any means… before you go ape, look at per 36 stats, Vucevic and Valanciunas right there with him, 3s included. And that’s not including centers better than him.
I would have taken the chance, they could sign him the longest anyway.
Yea but neither of those guys can pass and run an offense like Jokic. Jokic is really the only point center in the league. And you compare him to those two? Yes all three have struggled defensively on occasion but Jokic gives so much more to an offense than jv’s decent mid range game or vucevic’s shooting
Embiid, AD, Aldridge, KAT, both Gasols, Turner, Boogie (may never return to form) all can shoot, handle the rock, dish it, run an offense in similar fashion. I’ll give you Vucevic and Valanciunas are more limited, but even Brook Lopez can provide similar skillset. 11 of 30 starting centers. 12 including the Joker.
I think they prematurely panicked. Right now… 13 teams could offer him max in 19-20 but in reality you are only competing with the Nets and Clippers – LA is a landing spot, but the Nets are always trash and the Clippers outside of CP3-DJ-BG years are a trash franchise. Every other team is set at Center, just drafted their future center, or about to use up that cap space (Mavs & Lakers).
Nuggets Fans seem salty.
I mean what is the argument being made. That he simply isn’t phenominal, is overvalued and they should have waited to sign him next year? I mean he’s certainly worth the contract, and if the nuggets weren’t reupping he’d still be getting a max deal from some team just at a year less in length. Basically if the nuggets picked up his option for next year(after the player professionally communicated that that would not be an ideal situation for him) they’d be hedging their bets that jokic values the extra garaunteed money they can offer more so than reservations about them spurnibg is request which coupled with factors like market, talent and personal preference makes him leaving town a very real possibility aat best and likely to happen at worst. the label phenominal for for players star level players who simply bring physical/athletic traits that can’t simply be taught, then yes jokic isn’t phenominal. However my definition of phenominal (in nba terms) definitely includes the “can be learned” skillsets ie shooting, rebounding, playmaking defensive fundamentals. Jokic isn’t superbly athletic, making his help defense game fairly limited (although he can still certainly imporve on the defensive fundamentals and has the weight to at least body up down low and become a solid post defender). But whatever he gives up on defense he certainly makes up on offense and versatility and floor spacing. at worst that take and give from a talent standpoint is a wash, at best it’s more than enough to qualify him as a top 10 big man in the league more than makes up for any defensive short comings from a shot blocking standpoint. He ideally is a major piece to the next contending nuggets team, not the final solution, the expectation is that another high end player is acquired (or 2)to put them in title contention range (if that’s the goal,this is the buggets I mean). But for now it’s mostly jokic and role players, so I can definitely understand Denver fans hyping him up and being excited.
If the* many more errors obviously, but I’ve got work I need to pretend to be doing
Paragraphs bro.
Nuggets fans are salty? I didn’t even know we had any. These are regular fans who think you’re taking a rational stance– DEN should wait to max Jokic– to a dumb stance– Jokic is not worth it. He is a former chubby-kid who gets constantly better.
Every team would have offered Jokic as much money as they could. Guy was guaranteed a max
Look at who had 25M in cap space next year. Just go look at the list of teams. They got bullied by an agent saying “it would hinder their chances at re-signing him” and they had no stones.
Nets – No one wants to go there.
Pacers – Myles Turner
Clippers – Everyone says it’s LA but it’s more Compton than LA when compared to being a Laker.
Kings – No explanation required.
Bulls – Markkanen + Wendell Carter Jr.
Lakers – Using all the cap space this year.
Mavs – Going to come away with one of Capela, Cousins, Nurkic, B. Lopez this offseason.
Utah – Rudy Gobert
Suns – Ayton
Magic – Bamba, Biyombo
Hawks – Maybe.. but they also have Collins who they like
Knicks – cap space goes away re-upping KP
Philly – Embiid
That is the list of teams that would of had enough cap space to offer Jokic a max contract. Which one of those teams scares you?
Jokic is probably one of the most underrated players in the NBA imo.
I feel like there are many unintelligent comments on these boards based on stats alone. If you actually watch the Nuggets play, you’ll see that Jokic is undeniably a phenomenal player.
Amen!
We all know he’s a great player… That is why he is getting thew max. That’s what happens when you’re one of the best players. Your comment is irrelevant.
He’s good. Not great. At least not yet. He had several very pedestrian games last year. Not like 1 or 2… over a dozen. He’s only 23 though, so hes obviously on the ascend. He’s just not a “special” player yet.
Jokic is the best all around offensive center in the game. He has every offensive skill imaginable and a basketball IQ that belies his age. He’s doing things from the center spot that nobody’s done in the NBA this consistently well since Bill Walton.
The issue with him is defense. He’ll likely never be a good defender, but with his basketball IQ and wingspan/reach he doesn’t need to be this bad. He has to want it more. He is 23, though. Maybe, now, as the acknowledged foundation piece of the team he’ll take ownership of it more. The organization has to assist him as well.
Idk.. maybe you should youtube Anthony Davis or Karl Anthony Towns or Joel Embiid.
Bill Walton didn’t do anything consistently lol… like he didn’t even play consistently. So that’s a funny statement.
The only thing you said that made sense was “Idk” – you should have stopped there. Although it also makes sense that you’re knowledge of the game is limited to what you can glean from YouTube.
Lol dude I’ve seen your comments… nothing special. You’re comparing Jokic to things no one has done since Bill Walton. There have been so many big men that can pass the ball, if that’s what you’re hanging your hat on. When he beat the Sixers in the finals, Dr. J was guarding him a lot in those games – Sixers were inept at Center during that finals, no Moses Malone. Dawkins took a few years to even develop and was a non-factor. Walton, while in the hall of fame, wouldn’t be talked about as much if he didn’t get into broadcasting. And its the Basketball Hall of Fame, not just the NBA… so it includes his collegiate career, and UCLA was the greatest college program from 60s and 70s.
Also… Joel Embiid is doing things that no one has done since Wilt Chamberlain. That pretty much sums this up. As a big man, if you’re doing things only Wilt ever did, then we’re talking about something special.
Dude, it’s evident you didn’t see any of the older players you reference, and certainly not the 1977 championship series. There is only so much one can learn/memorize from YouTube and Google. The reference to Bill Walton (who despite, a brief NBA career, is a transcendent figure in the game) would resonate with anybody with an ounce of knowledge about the game and its history. So, consider that it wasn’t intended for you.
I told you why he was transcendent – called broadcasting. Otherwise he’d have been an afterthought like some of the great centers of that time period overshadowed by Kareem. Walton arguably had one of the greatest collegiate careers, but like I said, UCLA was NCAA basketball during that Wooden era. He wasn’t the only HOF-caliber player on that squad.
There’s a litany of HOFers that didn’t spend the past 30 years behind a microphone to keep them fresh in people’s minds. Esp for a guy that only played 7 seasons as a starter. I already said he was good, and back then there was a gap between the Russell Celtics and Showtime Lakers/Dr.J-Moses Sixers/Bird Celtics where 1 guy could be capable of dragging a team to a NBA Championship. And he did that, could have done it twice, if he didn’t get hurt. But I mean there’s clearly a hierarchy from that era, just in the Centers category and I’m taking… Kareem, Moses, McAdoo.
He gets a Bo Jackson ‘what could have been if not for the injuries’ aura, but like I said… that long-time broadcasting gig and his out-there personality has a lot to do with his legend/legacy carrying on. Bo was everywhere in your face marketing, which built upon that legend, but Bo was also the greatest athlete of that time and all time.
And you’d be wrong, as usual, here comically so. Most knowledgeable basketball people who saw him play (if you know any that will talk to you, ask, and then be quiet and learn) agree that, but for his injuries, he’d be among the best players (at any position) ever play in the NBA. Maybe the best. He was ahead of this time in how he played, and that’s what was transcendent about him. Jokic isn’t Walton; nobody is. But offensively he does Walton like things. Walton was a primary scorer and play maker in one, and from any place on the floor, and he also dominated defensively. There hasn’t been another big man with those skills since. The hierarchy in the 1970s was Jabbar and nobody else, until Walton emerged healthy for two seasons and surpassed him in the minds of most. Moses emerged later as the second guy to challenge Jabbar, although like Walton, Jabbar outlasted him as well. Moses has a long career, but his period of dominance wasn’t long, 5 years and mostly in the 1980s (not the 1970s). If you don’t want to sound silly, don’t bring up McAdoo in any conversation like this.
Z-A Jokic is doing things no one has done since Wilt too, no other center has ever done over 6 APG, so there you are good company for Jokic, look I absolutely love Embiid, KAT, DMC & AD, but Jokic is already up there with them man, last season DMC & AD were the best, followed by KAT, & then as fas as I am concerned there was nothing to separate Jokic & Embiid. My point is that Jokic deserves at the least the max contract the guy is a generational talent the likes that we have never seen man, why do you Z-A hate him so much? SMH
I don’t hate Jokic. I like Jokic actually. I think Denver brass were a bunch of [slang for kittens] and let an an agent bully them into paying luxury tax for no reason. They aren’t competing next year, but playing the luxury tax b/c Jokic was pouty through is agent saying he was going to leave… to where. I already showed you who had cap space, if he wanted to waste his career in Brooklyn or as a Clipper… I’d say best of luck. Nuggets have a nice young core – Murray, Harris, himself, and now Porter Jr. And now their team is weaker with Barton leaving. Faried, Chandler, Arthur all gone next year, they could have done a deal with Barton to keep him around as he is a nice veteran role player that has been with the organization for 4 years, when your core is only 19-23 yr olds. It’s just a dumb move when his leverage was the Nets/Clippers/Hawks if you want to put them in there.
Lot of Nuggets fans here it seems. I happen to agree with Z-A. Not that Jokic isn’t a fine player, he just doesn’t seem like he deserves the max. I’m sure the people of Denver hope he proves the deal is a steal, but yeah paying a combined $60 million the next 2 years to the 4/5 position for a borderline playoff team doesn’t make sense. Kinda reminds me of the Wolves when they maxed out Wiggins last year.
Maybe a37H is a Denver fan, otherwise regular posters.
Jokic is continually getting better and is already the best playmaking center. 6a, 11r, 40% 3s, 76 games per year, from a round2 pick 3 yrs ago.
All the Nuggets need to play better defense to go farther. They’re not good at that. Jokic may be the best of their starters! Probably due to leadership.
I actually hate Denver, for dumping Melo on the Knicks and piggishly taking every asset we had. Although I like their top personnel guy (not the GM, right below), who wasn’t there when Melo was dealt. He is (was) a Knick fan (sort of), but would never work for Dolan.
There is no better example of: “we may not win with him as our best player, but we can’t let him go either” in the NBA.
Love his game, but man this nuggets team is going to be a weird luxury tax roster.