When could Jokic break the $400 million barrier?
The Denver Nuggets center, who renewed last year, will be in a position to sign the biggest contract in NBA history in a few years’ time.
The NBA is in one of the best moments in its history. Its appeal and its projection go beyond the borders of the United States, becoming the hegemonic championship, which generates $8,000 million a year. The numbers are overwhelming in every way. The average salary of the players is $8.3 million compared to $5.30m in the Indian Premier League cricket, $4.03m in the MLB and $3.97m in the British Premier League. And with an average value of the franchises that is close to $3,000 million with Golden State Warriors rising, for example, to almost $7,000 million.
A boom scenario, largely sponsored by the million-dollar television contract signed with Disney (ESPN and ACB) and Turner (TNT) in 2015 for 10 years and $24,000 million (the new agreement being negotiated could be even higher ), which no one wants to break and which allowed the peaceful and rapid signing of a new agreement with benefits for the renewal of the contracts of veteran players and winners at the end of the season.
One of those winners is Jaylen Brown. This week, the forward signed a supermax extension, which allows him to increase his new contract by 140% compared to the previous one due to the new agreement, with Boston making him the first player in history to surpass $300 million ($304m) in five years, 34 million more than Nikola Jokic with the Denver Nuggets - the last major extension to be signed.
Jokic’s contract up for review in 2026
Jokic may have lost top position in particular ranking - but perhaps not for long because the center could recover it in three years’ time, breaking another of the great and impossible barriers in the NBA: $400 million. The Serbian is currently considered one of the best players on the planet (if not the best) after a championship ring with the Denver Nuggets that came preceded by the two MVPs he won in 2021 and 2022.
A relevance and dominance that led the Colorado franchise to extend his contract last summer, when he won his second MVP award, for five years and $276.12 million. A contract which comes into effect this season with a value of $47.6 million and that will rise to $59m in 2026-27 with a player option the following, that of 2027-28, for $62.8 million.
In the summer of 2026, Jokic would be eligible to re-sign with Denver. When that happens, he would be in a position to command a huge contract - possibly the first that exceeds $400 million, specifically $404 million, in five seasons, according to Kurt Helin. He would no longer need to do anything, neither win a ring nor an individual award because he would have more than 10 years of service in Denver.
He would not be the only one with the ability to break a barrier that was a pipe dream a decade ago. Players like Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Zion Williamson would be in a position to do so, although of the three the one who seems most likely due to projection and ability to win individual awards and get into All NBA quintets is Oklahoma City Thunder guard. Shai.