League sources have told Mile High Sports that the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic will agree to a five-year maximum contract worth $145.6 million once the 2018 free agency period begins. There are no player or team options on the contract according to Marc Stein of the New York Times. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN was first on the report.
Nikola Jokic was the catalyst that helped carry the Nuggets from being an organization that was bottoming-out just four years ago to rising up the NBA ranks as fast as any young team. Because of his ascension to stardom, the Nuggets repaid him by declining his measly $1.6 million team option and instead gave him a max contract that will set him and his family up for life while keeping Jokic in Denver for at least the next five years.
Jokic, who averaged 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game last season, has become one of the most polarizing and productive players in all of basketball. In a league that is controlled by star talent, the Nuggets have their top-25 player now locked up for the next five years.