Could Jokic Be Heading to Lakers? Jokic’s Delay Discussed on First Take

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🔥 On First Take, Brian Windhorst breaks down why Nikola Jokic has delayed contract extension talks until 2026 — a move that nets him an extra $80 million and opens the door to Lakers trade speculation.

Stephen A. joins the discussion, analyzing whether Jokic’s delay is purely financial or a strategic move to spark conversations about a move to Los Angeles.

Watch to learn about Jokic’s rare “no-stress” contract approach, Denver’s offseason revamp, and what this all means for the Western Conference hierarchy and L.A.’s title chase.
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00:00Sources say three-time MVP, Nikola Jokic, will not sign an extension with the Nuggets this offseason.

00:06He's going to table talks until next year, and there's financial reasons for this,

00:10but nevertheless, it could also be a move to put a little pressure on the team

00:14that has yet to return to the finals since they won it all in 2023.

00:18So let's dive into the financials for Jokic, why he would do this.

00:22This superstar is eligible to sign a three-year, $200 million extension this offseason,

00:27but if he waits until 2026, next offseason, Jokic is able to add that fourth year,

00:32an additional $77 million, according to our front office insider, Bobby Marks.

00:38So eyebrows are always raised when a star player isn't clamoring to extend his contract

00:42at the first opportunity to do so, but financially, another $77 million, I would probably take that same path.

00:48Wendy, should Nuggets fans be concerned about Jokic not signing now?

00:53They should not be concerned, but they should take notice.

00:58And so Jokic is the rarest thing in pro basketball.

01:03He is a megastar who is no stress.

01:07They have never for one day had to ever stress about his contract.

01:11He doesn't apply pressure to the organization.

01:13He doesn't say things on social media.

01:15He doesn't say things on streams, seaside, about the only thing that he does is go to horse races

01:21and dance while drinking wine in the offseason.

01:24He is a absolute no-stress superstar.

01:28And the last time around, he signed the contract.

01:30It was a Supermax at the time.

01:32No worries whatsoever.

01:33Has delivered championships, has stayed healthy, you know,

01:37says nothing in the media or anything that causes problems.

01:39So this is the first time really in his career he's ever said no.

01:43Now, Josh Kroenke, who is their governor, a couple of weeks ago had a press conference

01:48and he said, we're going to offer it to Giannis and he's probably going to turn it down

01:52because he knows about the $77 million that you just broke down.

01:56But it is something to take notice of.

01:59So it's something to take notice of in 2025.

02:02If he says no again in 2026, we're going to have a five-alarm fire.

02:07And so what we are seeing right now is we are seeing some teams in the league

02:11start to make decisions with an eye towards 2027.

02:15We're seeing teams like the Clippers and the Lakers potentially trying to save up cap space.

02:21And 2027 is when Jokic can be a free agent and when Giannis can be a free agent.

02:27Now, maybe both of them extend, and this is not a topic.

02:30But the we'll see and the eyebrow raise part of it, that causes action in the NBA.

02:35And that's what we're seeing.

02:36$77 million could buy you a lot of horses if you're Jokic here.

02:41But, David, the Nuggets have done a lot this offseason.

02:45They go and get Cam Johnson.

02:46They trade Michael Porter Jr.

02:47They get Valanchunas.

02:49Like, how do you think what they're doing right now will entice him to want to stay there?

02:55Well, I mean, I think they're making moves sort of in the right direction.

03:00Move sort of in the right direction.

03:01I like what they did this offseason, bringing back Brown and Hardaway and then making the move with Cam Johnson.

03:07I like those moves, and I think this team will be a little bit better.

03:09But I think what we're seeing in the big picture with Giannis, with Jokic,

03:13is these players that we consider no-frills players that kind of go along with the organization

03:18and trust in their front office to build teams around them better.

03:22These guys have each won a championship, and what we're seeing is that they understand

03:26that the route to get to that second title includes a little bit of pressure on that front office.

03:31Yes, it makes financial sense for Jokic to get that extra $77 million into weight.

03:37But there is a benefit.

03:38There is an incentive there to let these people know, let the front office know that,

03:42hey, I'm not just going to go along anymore and just trust what you are doing with this team.

03:46I want to put pressure on you.

03:48I've watched people like LeBron James, like Kevin Durant, like those guys move and do things

03:53to make organizations build better around them and put pressure on them,

03:56and it has garnered success for them.

03:59Maybe we should get on the boat and do a little bit of that.

04:02And I think Jokic, in the back of his mind and above that $77 million,

04:06is a desire to put pressure on that Nuggets team and let them know that it is not taken for granted

04:11that I am re-signing with you guys.

04:13I want to see actual improvement with this team, with this roster.

04:16I want championship-level players around me, and that is, you know, a reason to do this

04:21as much as that benefit of the $77 million.

04:24So I guess for now we can put a pause on all of those jersey edits that I've seen flying around Twitter

04:29the last couple of days.

04:31You're right, because they said with their actions, when they fired Michael Malone,

04:36they fired their GM, Calvin Booth, that they were going to be building everything around Jokic going forward.

04:42Proof is in the pudding, though.

04:43OKC isn't going anywhere.

04:45The Houston Rockets got a lot better.

04:46This offseason, so did the Denver Nuggets.

04:48But to see what this team becomes now that they have stars with some long-term staying power

04:54to one that we are closely watching to see what his future holds in Milwaukee.

04:58When Giannis' season ended in the first round of the playoffs,

05:01Arshams Charania reported that for the first time ever,

05:04the Greek freak was open to playing for another team.

05:07So far, crickets on that front.

05:09But Giannis was on a stream with iShowSpeed this morning and was asked whether he's staying foot.

05:16LA to Texas bat.

05:17New York, Texas bat.

05:19Yeah.

05:19Hell no.

05:20A lot of people have tried to convince me.

05:22Tried to convince me to go and play there and stuff.

05:26Oh, no.

05:27So you're saying in Milwaukee?

05:28Uh, probably.

05:32Probably.

05:33We'll see.

05:34That's the hard-hitting journalism we want there.

05:37A direct question towards Giannis.

05:39Wendy, obviously some hemming and hawing.

05:41He probably doesn't want to, like, lay it all out there when his mind isn't made up.

05:44But are these comments something or nothing?

05:46Real talk.

05:49That was a great question.

05:50And thank you for asking it.

05:52Also, Courtney, Giannis is having a better day than me and you.

05:55He is seaside, I think, in Greece.

05:58So let's keep that in mind.

06:01I'm not going to sit here and overreact to this.

06:05But the fact that he just said, we'll see, we'll see is the basis of why a bunch of teams

06:11are considering holding their assets to try to make a trade for Giannis sometime in the

06:17foreseeable future.

06:18We'll see is enough in the NBA.

06:21That's the value of a superstar player is so high and the impact that one franchise-changing

06:28player can make is so great that a player simply saying, we'll see, whether it's on

06:34a stream or it's behind the scenes at a party or to another player on a court, we'll

06:40see has gotten teams to tear up future plans and to plan years in advance and to hoard

06:46cap space and picks.

06:47I've seen it happen.

06:49So while on one hand, it's not Giannis saying he wants to do anything but be in Milwaukee,

06:55it does explain why teams are keeping a very close eye on this situation.

07:00And I would say that Giannis provided no clarity on his future with those remarks.

07:05And no clarity is what's been driving the speculation around Giannis.

07:09I don't know about you guys.

07:10I'm having a great day here in New York City.

07:12I don't really have the seaside element, but it's still obviously a good day to be here.

07:16David, what do you think Milwaukee's front office, when they hear what Giannis just said,

07:21which, as Wendy pointed out, is kind of a whole lot of nothing, how do they approach that?

07:28Well, first of all, I think it was really cool to watch the stream and see the greatest

07:31athlete of our generation hanging out with Giannis on the cupo.

07:34That was really cool to see those two guys together.

07:37But if I'm Milwaukee, Wendy is talking about the we'll see of it.

07:41If I'm Milwaukee, I am clinging on to the probably so.

07:45I am clinging on to this notion that Giannis is coming back because that's all I have.

07:49I have basically thrown my franchise into flux with the possibility of the promise that

07:54Giannis should be coming back.

07:56I have put Dame Lillard's money, $100 million, on the books for multiple years with the hope

08:03that Giannis is coming back.

08:04I've got Miles Turner on the team with the belief that Giannis is coming back.

08:08I have been of the belief that it's absolutely madness that this has not been done in conjunction

08:13with Giannis, that he has not been part of the conversation all along.

08:17And the fact that there is any sort of question mark about this after they've done all of this,

08:21I would be in complete panic mode of the fact that Giannis is still not coming out and saying,

08:26absolutely, I'm coming back from Milwaukee.

08:29Absolutely, I wanted Miles Turner.

08:31Absolutely, they've done all the things right for me this offseason.

08:34I would be really worried about that if I'm Milwaukee.

08:37But the thing you have to hold on to is the probably so because that is the most affirmation

08:43that Giannis has given you since the season ended.

08:45And you have to hope that that means he's coming back.

08:48Wendy, I'm giving you the final word here.

08:50Obviously, you see all of those moves and Miles Turner at the front line for the Bucs offseason.

08:57But how do you think Giannis is taking all this in, not being a part of it,

09:02but clearly seeing what they're doing from Greece?

09:05Well, he's as much of a part of it as he wants to be.

09:08He is the centerpiece of the franchise.

09:10But I have to give David, I have to agree with him on this.

09:14When you make a $200 million move, which that's what that was,

09:18waiving the last $113 of Dame Lillard's contract and taking on $107 million of Miles Turner,

09:27it equals $200 million.

09:29When you make a $200 million move and encumber your books for the next five years,

09:35four with Turner, five with Dame, you'd like to hear more than probably.

09:40So I would say, again, I don't want to overreact.

09:44And I know that we're in mid-July here, but $200 million hopefully buys more than probably.

09:49And it doesn't.

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