Report: ‘Never been a whisper’ of Nikola Jokic wanting to leave Nuggets

If Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic were to become available sooner or later, there maybe wouldn’t be a single team in the NBA that wouldn’t have interest in adding him. The Serbian is a generational talent with his knack for dominating in numerous facets of the game, from scoring to rebounding to playmaking, and he was the best player on a championship team in 2023.

However, there is nothing to suggest that Jokic wants out of Denver. According to NBA insider Zach Lowe, there’s “never been a whisper” of Jokic having a desire to leave the Nuggets. The 30-year-old has spent the entirety of his 10-year NBA career as a Nugget.

“Everyone just sort of skirted past the news that he wasn’t taking an extension this summer,” Lowe said. “We should probably at least mention Nikola Jokic, who’s the best basketball player in the world. Nobody in Denver batted an eye that I heard — privately, publicly — when Jokic said, ‘You know what? It doesn’t make sense for me financially to do it this summer. Let’s revisit it next summer.’

“There’s never even been a whisper, through coaching changes at the last minute, through roster turmoil, through losing core guys because of tax issues and whatever, through Calvin Booth getting fired at the end of the season, through all that — never been a whisper of like, ‘This guy wants to go to a different team.'”

It’s safe to assume that if Jokic were to ask for a trade anytime soon, an arms race with numerous teams competing for the big man would ensue. That would likely also be the case if he were to hit free agency (which could technically happen as soon as 2027), but it doesn’t seem like there’s any panic happening within Denver’s walls.

As such, Nuggets fans can breathe a sigh of relief unless something changes. Not only is Jokic seemingly not going anywhere, but he could very well help Denver win its second title of this decade in 2026.

Denver heads into the 2025-26 campaign as one of the more improved teams on paper compared to last season. In light of the additions of Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas and Cameron Johnson, the Nuggets are looking like a far deeper team.

It’s already unlikely that Jokic plays for another NBA team in the near future, but another championship in 2026 would make that possibility even more improbable. A second championship would also make the Nuggets arguably the most successful team of the decade so far, as they would be the only team in the league to win multiple championships in that timeframe.