After finishing second in the MVP race, Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic could enter another MVP race as his max contract extension looms in 2026-27. Some believe Jokic's future with the Nuggets isn't promised beyond this upcoming season, including The Athletic's John Hollinger.
How Jokic and the Nuggets fare amidst the stiff competition in the Western Conference is critical, as Hollinger noted.
“Whatever Denver does this season feels almost secondary to what it means for the franchise after the season, when three-time MVP Nikola Jokić will become an unrestricted free agent,” Hollinger said. “While the best Nugget ever has insisted that he wants to stay in Denver and sign a massive five-year deal worth a projected $360 million, there is justifiable paranoia in the Mile High City that the shortcomings of the rest of the roster may cause his eye to wander.
“Certainly, 29 other teams are scheming for how they might lure him away come July. For the Nuggets, the tale of this roster will be familiar: an awesome starting five led by Jokić, backed up by what is far and away the weakest bench of any contender or quasi-contender,” Hollinger said. “And, more generally, an outstanding offense limited at the upper end by a lack of 3-point shooting … paired with a pliable defense offering little resistance to elite teams and, at times, featuring comically bad transition defense.
The Nuggets will feel the absence of 3-point shooting and a solid perimeter defender this upcoming season. It will be interesting to see how Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets bounce back from those losses in 2026-27.
“The losses of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Peyton Watson in the offseason, free-agency defeats necessitated by previous mistakes that left the Nuggets bereft of draft assets and above the second-apron payroll threshold, further hollow out that second group,” Hollinger added. “Overreach on extensions to Christian Braun and Zeke Nnaji locked the franchise into two contracts it can’t trade, while a series of misses after the Braun-Watson draft in 2022 has drained the talent pipeline.
Article Continues Below“All of that is more concerning because the core of Jokić, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon isn’t getting any younger (Murray, the youngest of the trio, turns 30 in February). Of the second-unit players, only DeMar DeRozan projects to be a positive, although Spencer Jones showed flashes as a 3-and-D wing,” Hollinger concluded.
While adding veteran DeMar DeRozan gives the Nuggets a reliable scorer, it will be interesting to see how guys like Spencer Jones and Christian Braun adapt to their projected increased roles.