Nikola Jokic is about to get paid - big time.
The Denver Nuggets' big man will sign a max deal with the team next season, according to multiple reports.
Jokic, 23, will have his team option declined next season, allowing the Nuggets to ink him to a five-year, $148M max contract, according to ESPN.
Gifted young center Nikola Jokic is poised to accept a five-year, $148M maximum contract to stay with the Denver Nuggets shortly after midnight, league sources tell ESPN.
- Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2018
That's great news for the Serbian center, who has gotten better every year since being selected in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft.
Last season, Jokic averaged 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game, nearly leading the Nuggets back to the playoffs for the first time in five years. The team finished as the ninth seed in the Western Conference, one game behind the Timberwolves.
Nuggets President of Basketball Operations, Tim Connelly, recently told reporters he wants to keep Jokic with the team "as long as possible."
The Nuggets clearly view Jokic as their star player and hope to pair him with 2018 first-round pick Michael Porter Jr. for years to come.
All signings will not be official until the end of the NBA moratorium period on 6 July.
