Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic 5-year, $270M Supermax Extension
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has agreed to the largest contract in NBA history -- a five-year, $270 million supermax extension, his agents, Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports, told ESPN on Friday.
Jokic, the two-time reigning Most Valuable Player, is now secured to the Nuggets for a total of six seasons for $303 million.
The deal includes a player option and a trade kicker. The contract will kick in during the 2023-24 season at $46.6 million and climb every season until 2027-28, when Jokic is set to make $61.5 million.
A second-round draft pick, Jokic has evolved into one of the improbable forces in the history of the game, a transformative offensive talent who has secured back-to-back league MVP awards.
Jokic, 27, averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists in 74 games for the Nuggets last season, as he edged out Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid to win the league's top individual honor for a second straight season, becoming the 15th player to win at least two MVP awards in his career and the 10th to win them in back-to-back seasons.
Denver began reshaping its roster ahead of next season by trading guards Monte Morris and Will Barton to the Washington Wizards earlier this week in exchange for guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, with Caldwell-Pope likely to slot into Denver's starting lineup as a 3-and-D wing next to Murray in the backcourt.