292 million in 4 years! The 3rd MVP refused to renew the contract this summer, the Lakers are waiting for the strongest European two stars to join forces?

On July 9, 2025, a news from the Denver Post ignited the alliance: Nikola Jokic officially notified the Nuggets management that early renewal negotiations will not be initiated this summer, and all discussions on the contract will be postponed until the summer of 2026. Although this decision is not a divergence to Denver, it undoubtedly forces the Nuggets management to control the team's future risk. If Jokic renews his contract next year, he will meet the "10-year veteran clause" and be able to sign a four-year, $292 million epic contract, making $80 million more than renewing this summer. But the question is, as a small football market, if the Nuggets do not win the championship this year, will they still have money to renew Jokic? According to the analysis of some professionals in the league, the league will have shocking transfers in the free market in the summer of 2026, and Antetokounmpo and Joqich are both likely to play in big cities. Los Angeles media also said that when the three-time MVP pressed the pause button, the Los Angeles Lakers once again had an affair with Jokic - especially when another European genius, Luca Doncic, was already sitting in the Lakers.

Jokic's delay in contract renewal is undoubtedly a wise move. His current contract guarantees his income of $156 million in the next three years, and he still has a bottom line even if he is injured or his condition declines. However, the Nuggets' lineup depth has declined in recent years. Last season, they lost to the Thunder in the semi-finals. Jokic bluntly stated that his strength is not as strong as the Thunder in the playoffs. This summer, the Nuggets made several successful reinforcements. Cameron Johnson and Brown joined. If Valanen decides to stay in the Nuggets, the Nuggets are still worth looking forward to in the new season. However, the Thunder still maintains its original framework. The Rockets have made several magical operations in succession and successfully strengthened them. The Mavericks' strength should not be underestimated. It is very difficult for the Nuggets to break out of the West. Once the Nuggets cannot win the championship, Jokic has a high possibility of parting ways with the Nuggets. Although Nuggets boss Kroenke publicly stated that "the contract will definitely be renewed", he also admitted: "I'm not sure whether Jokic will accept it." For Jokic, he helped the Nuggets win the championship and won three MVPs here. He has already repaid the favor of this city. In his future career, Jokic is likely to change his family for business interests and greater chances of winning the championship. As early as April 2025, an authoritative American gambling agency listed the Lakers as Jokic's next top favorite. The Lakers' attractiveness is obvious: ①. Doncic's gravity. The two European geniuses have a close personal relationship. Los Angeles can provide a historical dual-core test field; ②. Commercial bonus. Compared with Denver, the Lakers platform can several times increase Jokic's commercial value, paving the way for the future business empire; ③. Tactical adaptation, Jokic's high-level support and Doncic's ball-holding creativity can theoretically build an offensive system without solution. ④. James currently has no plans to renew his contract with the Lakers. According to sources, after Davis left, James already had the idea of ​​leaving. In this way, Jokic and Doncic will become the dual cores of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The ideal is full, but reality is full of thorns. It is very difficult for the Lakers to get Jokic. Their trading chips are barren: only the unprotected first round + sporadic swap rights are available in 2031. James' age (41 years old) and contract (including the transaction veto rights) make it impossible for him to become the trading subject. However, if Jokic strongly requests to join the Lakers, and the league intends to promote the epic teaming from the two giants, thus completely detonating the Los Angeles market, there is still a theoretical possibility for Jokic to join the Lakers. Just as the Mavericks trade Doncic to the Lakers to get compensation for the No. 1 pick, the Nuggets can send Jokic away, get Reeves, Hachimura, Kneckett, Kleber, Brownie, Vincent, as well as first-round pick swaps in 2026, 2028, 2030 and first-round picks in 2031. At the same time, the 26-27 season was bad and the league was "promise" to protect themselves, and even "upgrade" them to the No. 1 pick.

To put it another way, if the Denver Nuggets cannot win the championship in the 25-26 season, this lineup will undoubtedly touch the ceiling. In the second round of the 2025 playoffs, the Nuggets lost the championship Thunder 3-4, and Jokic has burned out all of himself, but Porter Jr., Murray and others have performed averagely. Although Porter Jr. Jr. was sent away to trade for Cameron Johnson, Valanen, etc. in the offseason, if Murray's key core cannot afford a net worth of $46 million, the hidden dangers in the Nuggets' backcourt will not be resolved at all. The turmoil in the management has added variables. At the end of the regular season last season, when the team fired coach Malone and general manager Booth, they only symbolically "notified" Jokic that he did not seek the opinions of the star, which also shook Jokic's trust in the team to a certain extent. If the Nuggets provide Jokic with a super contract renewal, the team's expenses will still be huge. If they do not win the championship, the revenue capacity of the small market Nuggets will be difficult to bear such a tax burden in the long term.

If the trading road is blocked, the only chance the Lakers will get Jokic will be in the summer of 2027. By then, Jokic can jump out of the player option and become a free agent. During that period, James is likely to retire or leave the Lakers. The Lakers will free up the maximum salary space to renew Jokic and build a championship lineup around Doncic and Jokic. If the Lakers want to move the "European Double Star" from the game screen into the Staples Center, they need not only the courage of Jenny Bass, but also the accident of history - just like Gasol's trade back then, seizing the fragile moments of his opponent at the right moment.