Nikola Jokic has given his clearest indication yet that he intends to remain with the Denver Nuggets beyond his current contract.
Speaking at Nuggets Media Day on September 28, Jokic addressed his decision not to sign an extension this summer and made his plans clear.
"I'm going to sign next year," Jokic said, before adding with a smile: "If they want me."
Jokic described his decision to wait as purely business and said he has been open with Denver's front office and ownership about his intentions.
The three-time MVP was eligible for a four-year extension worth approximately $278 million this summer. By waiting, he could instead become eligible for a five-year deal worth around $360 million next year.
Denver appears comfortable with the situation. Executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer said the Nuggets have "no concerns" about their relationship with Jokic or his future with the franchise.
No new contract has been signed, so Jokic's comments should be viewed as a statement of intent rather than a completed extension.
There is an enormous difference between declining an extension because you want to leave and declining one because waiting could substantially increase its value.
Everything Jokic said at Media Day points towards the latter.
The numbers explain why. Signing this summer could have secured roughly $278 million over four years. Waiting potentially opens the door to around $360 million over five years.
That's not an insignificant difference, even at this end of the NBA salary scale.
More importantly for Denver, Jokic isn't allowing the contract decision to become a guessing game about his intentions. He says he expects to sign next year, has communicated openly with the organisation and has previously spoken about wanting to finish his career with the Nuggets.
Denver's response is equally telling. The front office says it has no concerns.
None of that makes a future contract official. Circumstances can change over the course of an NBA season, and until Jokic actually signs, there is no new deal.
But there is little reason to manufacture uncertainty that the player himself is actively trying to remove.
LEAN EDGE VERDICT
Nikola Jokic hasn't signed another contract with Denver. He has, however, made his current intention unusually clear.
Waiting gives him the opportunity to secure a considerably larger and longer deal, while both Jokic and the Nuggets are publicly presenting the delay as a financial decision rather than a question over his future in Denver.
For now, the signature can wait.
The message from Jokic can't really be much clearer: he expects it to come next year.
