It is hard to imagine Nikola Jokic playing for a team other than the Denver Nuggets, considering the steep rise he has enjoyed since joining as the 41st overall pick of the 2014 draft. However, the Serbian center’s long-term future has become the subject of growing speculation, with Golden State Warriors insider Tim Kawakami bringing up his name multiple times in recent days.
According to a post on X by NBACentral, Kawakami believes Jokic signing a long-term extension with Denver in the coming offseason is not guaranteed.
“I’ve been hearing this for a little while,” he said. “It’s an open thing. It’s an open thing. He’s very likely to go back to Denver, but it’s an open thing. There’s nothing guaranteed about him going back to sign a long extension with Denver.”
The comments come just days after Kawakami earlier suggested the Warriors have a possible Nuggets target that they view attainable, without naming Jokic. Of course, the 31-year-old himself had only recently claimed that he wanted to stay with Denver for the rest of his career.
Still, Jokic reportedly declined a four-year, $278 million extension during the 2026 offseason, even though waiting until 2027 could make him eligible for a five-year supermax contract. He also has a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season, although ESPN insider Jake Fischer also previously identified the Warriors as one of the teams monitoring the situation.
Article Continues Below“The Warriors are one of those teams out there that are looking around and rubbing their fingers together and thinking, ‘Are we sure Jokić isn't gonna become available next summer?'” Fischer said.
The Nuggets have endured a slow start to the campaign and are currently 5-4, which has added further fuel to the fire. The Warriors will undoubtedly be able to extend Stephen Curry’s championship window by pairing him with a player of Jokic’s caliber, but there currently appears to be more smoke than fire, as far as the rumors are concerned.