Nuggets president Josh Kroenke floated a worst-case scenario where Nikola Jokic is shipped out of Denver during a press conference on Tuesday.
With the Nuggets’ payroll among the highest in the NBA, Kroenke, the son of Denver owner Stan Kroenke, said the franchise could be an injury away from a possible trade of their three-time MVP.
“For us, as an organization, going into that second apron is not necessarily something that we’re scared of,” Kroenke said. “I think there are rules around it that we need to be very careful of with our injury history. The wrong person gets injured, and very quickly, you’re in the scenario that I never want to have to contemplate, and that’s trading No. 15 (Jokic). We’re very conscious of that pushing forward.”
When discussing a possible contract extension for Jokic, Kroenke didn’t seem very convinced he would sign a deal this summer.
“We’re definitely going to offer it,” Kroenke said. “I’m not sure if he’s going to accept it or not.”
Jokic is eligible to sign a three-year, $212 million extension in July.
The 30-year-old Serbian native has played his entire NBA career in Denver, leading the Nuggets to the 2023 title.
Since their championship victory, the Nuggets have fallen in the Western Conference semifinals in back-to-back seasons.
The franchise has also had some major upheaval on its coaching staff after firing longtime head coach Michael Malone with just three games left in the regular season.
Despite the late change, the Nuggets took the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the second round, nearly pulling off the upset.
Jokic was top-two in MVP voting for the fifth straight season, finishing second behind Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
