Eyewitness Confirms Nikola Jokic’s Close Circle’s Unexpected Meeting With Bulls VP Amid Josh Giddey Uncertainty

The NBA 2K26 Summer League is back in full swing in Las Vegas, featuring all 30 NBA teams battling it out at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus. It’s the league’s biggest offseason showcase for rookies, sophomores, and fringe roster guys, a 10-day grind to make a name or a roster. And with free agency buzz flying around the league, Vegas feels like the perfect spot for players, execs, and agents to mix a little scouting, a little networking… and maybe even a casual gym workout in between.

Nikola Jokic is locked in through 2026, with a $62.8 million player option for 2027, and honestly, there’s zero buzz about him leaving Denver. And why would he? If he waits until next summer, he can cash in on a four-year, $290 million extension, way better than the $212 million he could’ve signed for this year. After a season where he averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists, even finishing second in MVP voting, Jokic’s future in Denver feels as solid as ever. And speaking of things that seem locked in, Jokic’s inner circle, especially his family, always seems to be right around the action, no matter where the league takes him.

Only at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas will you find a Bulls executive and one of the closest people to Nikola Jokić in the same gym. On The Lowe Post, Zach Lowe casually dropped a gem when he said, “I did see Arturas Karnisovas working out… he was on an elliptical… and you know who he said hi to? The scariest of the Jokic brothers is here in Las Vegas for some reason.” That would be Strahinja Jokic, a man so gigantic Lowe literally said, “I had forgotten how enormous Strahinja is… he was lifting weights at the gym before I got there and still lifting weights as I was leaving.”

And yes, the Arturas sighting is worth a second look. After all, this is the Bulls’ Executive VP of Basketball Operations, the same guy who, back in April, told fans, “I’m asking fans for patience because we are in the first year of transition.” He made it clear that finishing 15-5 to end the season wasn’t a “victory lap,” but hinted at optimism, saying, “There are positives and we have to keep on building on this group.” That led to his first big free agency move, bringing back Tre Jones on a three-year, $24 million deal, just two days after the Lonzo Ball trade. So, seeing him crossing paths with Strahinja in Vegas? Probably a casual Summer League gym run-in… but you never know what random connections in this league can spark.

Now, when it comes to the Jokic brothers, their story runs deeper than Instagram clips of them at Nuggets games. Strahinja, in fact, played pro basketball in Serbia before stepping away from the sport. His other brother, Nemanja, hooped at Detroit Mercy and later at Long Island University. And as Nikola Jokic once said, “One is talented, one is really strong. I’m a little bit talented, and a little bit strong.” Makes you wonder — was this meeting just a gym bro moment, or could there be more behind it?

The Bulls and Josh Giddey Situation

The Chicago Bulls have been moving at their usual slow, slightly confusing offseason pace. They traded Lonzo Ball to Cleveland for Isaac Okoro, a move that left more questions than answers, and drafted Noa Essengue at No. 12, a solid but not exactly headline-grabbing pick. But the bigger storyline that just won’t go away? The ongoing contract standoff with Josh Giddey. After trading away Alex Caruso to get him and yes, that deal still stings because Chicago got no draft picks back, the Bulls have been locked in a summer-long stare down with Giddey over his new contract.

Reports say Giddey’s camp is pushing for something in the ballpark of the $30 million per year deal Jalen Suggs got from Orlando, which honestly feels like a reach. And according to K.C. Johnson, talks are “ongoing and still far apart” with “no movement” even after almost a month of negotiating.

What makes this situation even messier is that the Bulls technically have all the leverage here. Giddey’s a restricted free agent, there’s no team with cap space to sign him outright, and ye here we are, still waiting for a deal. Giddey could accept his $11.1 million qualifying offer and hit unrestricted free agency next summer, a big gamble but his last real card to play.

To make things spicier, Giddey’s been in Las Vegas during Summer League but totally MIA from Bulls-related events, which NBA insider Jake Fischer called out, saying it “certainly seems like an indication that negotiations… are not trending in an amicable direction.” And yeah, Giddey hanging with other NBA players and working out with Phil Handy instead of showing up for Bulls team bonding? The optics say a lot.

Honestly, this feels like one big waiting game with no clear end in sight. The Bulls could drag this out for weeks, hoping Giddey blinks first, especially after learning their lesson with the Patrick Williams five-year, $90 million deal last offseason, a move nobody’s rushing to defend. But overpaying doesn’t make sense for a team still figuring out its direction.

Even Joe Cowley noted this summer’s brutal market for restricted free agents, calling it “bad timing” for Giddey. The Bulls already did one offseason bonding trip in L.A. (unclear if Giddey joined) and have plans for another before camp — maybe that’ll break the ice? Either way, until Giddey signs or takes the QO, this dance isn’t ending anytime soon.