Reports about the Los Angeles Lakers keeping an eye on Nikola Jokic’s potential free agency status have been going around for a while. The Denver Nuggets star’s well-known close friendship with Luka Doncic has only increased speculation that the two could become teammates sooner than expected. However, Jokic has just revealed that his hesitation to sign a contract extension has nothing to do with any desire to leave Denver.

“My idea is to stay with Nuggets, I’ll most probably sign next summer,” Jokic said to Serbian journalist Marko Ljubomirović of Admiral Bet (translated using Google Translate). “The decision is strictly business-oriented. My desire is to stay and play for Denver the rest of my career. It’s up to them whether they’ll offer me that or not.”

Following Serbia’s 94-81 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the FIBA World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers on Monday, the three-time MVP reaffirmed his desire to extend his contract and finish his career with the Nuggets. This came after he recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. It’s not the first time that the Joker has spoken about ending his career in Denver. In April, he stated that he wanted to be “a Nugget forever.”

According to Spotrac, Jokic is currently under a five-year, $276 million contract with Denver. The 31-year-old has a player option for 2027-28, which he could decline to hit unrestricted free agency next summer. Off the court, he and Doncic are close friends who spent time together during All-Star Weekend. Their bond has naturally led to pairing rumors, though Jokic himself addressed this idea in 2024, making it clear that any exit would only happen on his terms.

The Lakers have never been strangers to superstar duos: Magic and Kareem, Kobe and Shaq, Kobe and Pau, LeBron and AD, and most recently, LeBron and Doncic. On paper, adding Jokic to the mix would be a huge upgrade. He led the league in rebounds and assists this past season, while Doncic was the top scorer, making the pair nearly irresistible on paper.

But Jokic has reaffirmed his desire to stay in Denver, effectively putting the brakes on any talk of a Doncic reunion for now. His contract delay is purely a financial decision. By waiting until next offseason, Jokic would be eligible for a five-year, $359.5 million max extension as an unrestricted free agent (the biggest contract in league history) compared to the four-year, $278 million deal available to him this summer.

That’s an extra $81.5 million simply for exercising patience. The five-year deal Jokic is likely to sign in a year will run through the 2031-32 season, with the Serb turning 37 in the last year. Sources told Sam Amick of The Athletic that sorting out that major payday in his late 30s is a “significant factor” in the delay.

This isn’t the first time such talks have come up. Jokic and his representatives have long pursued this strategy. The Nuggets’ talisman was eligible to sign a $200 million, three-year extension last offseason, but postponed the process. However, the Nuggets’ owner had made a bold promise to the fanbase after last season.

After the Nuggets’ surprising first-round playoff exit, Josh Kroenke confirmed that “everything is gonna be on the table” except for trading Jokic. Many expected Denver to consider offers for Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun, and Aaron Gordon to ease its salary cap pressures. However, The Stein Line’s Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported on Saturday that the Nuggets “have rebuffed several trade offers” for Johnson.

“[Jonas] Valančiūnas and Zeke Nnaji are the Nuggets’ only veteran names of late circulating as certain trade candidates. For all the expectation this spring that Denver was determined to shed salary to make it easier to match offers on restricted free agent swingman Peyton Watson, this is not a team that has been operating in recent days with a determination to stay below the second apron like James Dolan’s Knicks,” Stein and Fischer reported.

Jamal Murray and Gordon are complementary stars to Jokic, but Gordon only played 36 games last season. Meanwhile, Johnson is a high-level role player who averaged 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists last season, but he only played 54 games. The Denver front office was expected to make big calls early in this offseason. However, their lack of action suggests two things: they’re not getting a worthy return, or they’re waiting for Jokic to commit.

The interesting part here is that Doncic has a player option before the 2028-29 season. League insiders already believe that Lakers GM Rob Pelinka is under pressure to make the team a contender. The urgency was obvious when Pelinka rushed to acquire Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, and Collin Sexton. LA invested $261 million in these four new players, not counting Austin Reaves’ extension.

Two years from now, if either or both plans in LA or Denver go sideways, we may just witness Jokic and Doncic team up. Needless to say, that team would become a championship favorite overnight.