Nikola Jokic: ‘I Still Want To Be A Nugget Forever’
On the heels of a dispiriting first-round exit, Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic didn’t express any reservations about continuing his career in Denver, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN.
“I still want to be a Nugget forever,” Jokic said during his post-game media session following Thursday’s Game 6 loss to Minnesota. When asked if that means he plans to sign a contract extension with the team this offseason, he repeated, “I still want to be a Nugget forever.”
Jokic is under contract for two more years, but that includes a player option for 2027/28, so he would essentially enter ’26/27 on an expiring contract if he and the Nuggets don’t work out a new deal by October. A maximum extension for the big man would begin at 35% of the ’27/28 salary cap and would tentatively be worth about $285MM over four years, based on a projected $165MM cap in ’26/27 and a 10% increase the following year.
Jokic nearly averaged a triple-double against the Timberwolves, putting up 25.8 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game. However, his 44.6% field goal percentage and 19.4% mark on three-pointers were well below his season rates and Denver was outscored during his time on the court, so it was a poor series by the three-time MVP’s lofty standards.
Still, it seems safe to assume the Nuggets won’t hesitate to put another maximum-salary offer on the table for their franchise player. The big question is what the roster around him will look like going forward. Jokic admitted that after a first-round loss, the team is “far away” from title contention, but said it was on him to play better and deflected when asked if offseason roster changes are needed.
“That’s not my decision, to be honest,” Jokic said. “Definitely, if we were in Serbia, we would all get fired.”
While the Nuggets’ roster around Jokic will be scrutinized in the coming weeks and months, the same figures to be true of head coach David Adelman, who just wrapped up his first full season on the job. Adelman, who has now lost two of three playoff series since being promoted, hasn’t had nearly as much playoff success so far as the man he replaced, Michael Malone. But Jokic insisted his head coach didn’t deserve to shoulder the blame for the team’s first-round exit.
“It’s not his fault we couldn’t rebound,” Jokic said. “It’s not his fault we couldn’t catch the ball very well. There is nothing to blame David Adelman. It’s all us.”
Missing Peyton Watson (hamstring) for the entire first round and Aaron Gordon (calf) for half the series was a major problem for Denver, given the key roles those wings played during the regular season. But the Timberwolves were arguably even more banged up, with star guard Anthony Edwards out since midway through Game 4 due to a knee injury and guards Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu also missing time.
“They missed a bunch of guys tonight and still won,” Jokic said on Thursday. “Did we need (Gordon and Watson)? Definitely. But if they are not here, we cannot think if, if, if.”
Mavs Unlikely To Get Permission To Speak To Tim Connelly
Even before the Timberwolves pulled off an unlikely Game 6 win over Denver on Thursday with Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, and Ayo Dosunmu available, the Mavericks had grown pessimistic about the likelihood that they’ll be granted permission to speak to Tim Connelly, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
Connelly, the Timberwolves‘ president of basketball operations, was among the “big names” cited a month ago as potential targets for the Mavs as they seek a new top basketball executive. Several of the candidates identified in that report were viewed as essentially pipe dreams, but there was said to be a sense among some rival teams that Connelly might be open to a new job.
However, multiple reports since then have suggested that Minnesota is motivated to lock up Connelly to a longer-term extension, and Stein suggests Dallas is unlikely to get the opportunity to meet with him.
While it may have been trending in that direction even before Thursday night, the Wolves’ upset victory to advance to the second round likely only increased team ownership’s desire to keep Connelly in his current position.
Rudy Gobert, whom Connelly memorably gave up five first-round picks to acquire during his first year on the job, played a crucial role in slowing down three-time MVP Nikola Jokic during that first-round series, while 2024 first-rounder Terrence Shannon Jr. came up big when thrust into a starring role in Game 6, scoring 24 points and grabbing six rebounds.
Additionally, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid, each of whom has received a long-term commitment from Connelly’s front office, stepped up to help Minnesota advance to round two, and Dosunmu – a 2026 deadline acquisition – had a massive series before missing Game 6 due to a calf injury.
Connelly signed a five-year contract when he was hired by the Timberwolves in 2022, so he has one year left on that deal.
The Mavs, meanwhile, parted ways with their president of basketball operations, Nico Harrison, during the 2025/26 season and had Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi finish the year as co-interim GMs. Both Finley and Riccardi are among the candidates for the permanent job, even as Dallas considers more experienced candidates.