Which, to be clear, by delaying signing his new contract, Jokić isn't trying to place more pressure on the Nuggets. With a decade in the NBA under his belt, that's just never been the kind of player he is. That's not how he operates. He's simply getting his bank accounts in order. Nothing more.

Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, eligible as of Tuesday for a contract extension, will wait until next summer to negotiate a new deal, the Denver Post and ESPN reported.

The Nuggets have been eliminated in the second round of the playoffs in back-to-back years since winning their first NBA title 2023. After their Game 7 loss to the Thunder in May, Jokic was blunt in concluding to reporters that Denver wasn’t not good enough to win the championship.