MINNEAPOLIS — Don’t expect any drama around the future of Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić.
The center, who is eligible this summer to sign a four-year, $293 million extension with the Nuggets, said Thursday that nothing has changed about his stance on the future.
“I still want to be a Nugget forever,” Jokić said after No. 3-seeded Denver was eliminated in six games by the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
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Last summer, Jokić turned down a three-year, $212 million extension, ostensibly because he was eligible to sign a more lucrative deal this summer. When asked Thursday if he was ready to sign that four-year extension, Jokić repeated himself.
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“I still want to be a Nugget forever,” he said.
If Jokić does not sign an extension, he could exercise his early termination option and become a free agent after the 2026-27 season.
The one wrinkle in his commitment could be the Nuggets’ long-term prospects. He has said he wants the team to return to championship contention, but he acknowledged Thursday that the Nuggets are “far away.”
“I mean, we just lost in the first round,” Jokić said.
Jokić said he will shoulder “a lot” of the blame for the Nuggets’ playoff loss. His series averages were sterling — 25.8 points, 13.1 rebounds and 9.5 assists — but he shot 44 percent from the field and just 7-for-36 from 3-point range. He also had 23 turnovers in the six games.
“I needed to play better, and I must play better,” Jokić said. “I think I was getting in a rhythm from the third game, but I needed to play much better the first three games … just to get everybody involved and get guys open.”