Nuggets make decision on trading Nikola Jokic after first-round playoff exit, per report

Nuggets make decision on trading Nikola Jokic after first-round playoff exit, per report originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

If the Denver Nuggets don’t complete a franchise-elevating trade this summer, it’ll be safe to say they aren’t all-in on winning another championship.

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Things have gotten stale since their 2023 title (second-round exit in 2023-24, second-round exit in 2024-25, and first-round exit this season), and with the Nuggets having several high-value trade assets on their roster, they shouldn’t find it challenging to make a move or two that’ll get them back on track in 2026-27.

Regarding Denver’s willingness to consider trading star center Nikola Jokic, Nuggets president and governor Josh Kroenke has already decided whether to entertain the possibility.

“I don’t want to be masked in my frustration for how the season ended,” Kroenke said Friday. “I think that anybody who was a fan of the Denver Nuggets should be frustrated. And anything that a fan feels, I probably feel a thousand X. So I think everything is gonna be on the table, outside of trading Nikola.”

Kroenke isn’t kidding with his final statement. Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, Cameron Johnson, and Christian Braun headline the list of supporting cast members that should soon land on the trade block.

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Jokic, on the other hand, is 99.9% staying put in Denver, but the three-time MVP must make a pivotal contract decision this summer. Jokic is eligible for a monumental four-year, $293 million extension. Failing to sign it would create heavy speculation about the 31-year-old’s future with the organization.

After all, Jokic has previously expressed his dissatisfaction with the current state of the Nuggets, citing that Denver is ‘far’ from title contention after its season-ending loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Apr. 30.

In all likelihood, though, Jokic will sign a long-term deal with the Nuggets and remain the face of the franchise.

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