MINNEAPOLIS — Following a shocking first-round elimination, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic acknowledged the team’s title hopes are distant yet reaffirmed his desire to remain with the franchise for the rest of his career.
“I still want to be a Nugget forever,” the 31-year-old said Thursday night after a 110-98 Game 6 loss that sealed a 4-2 series win for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jokic repeated the statement when asked about signing a contract extension that could reach four years and roughly $293 million this summer.
Contract status
Jokic has two seasons and $121.9 million left on his current deal, though the final year is a player option, placing him under team control only through the 2026-27 season. Extension eligibility opens July 1.
Playoff struggles
The reigning 2023 Finals MVP called the defeat “far away” from championship standards. He averaged 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in Game 6, but shot only 39 percent over the first four games—well below his 56 percent career mark—digging Denver into a 3-1 deficit.
“I needed to play better,” Jokic said. “That’s on me.”
Murray contained
Point guard Jamal Murray, coming off career highs of 25.4 points per game and his first All-Star selection, hit just 33 percent of his shots in the series. Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels shadowed Murray, while center Rudy Gobert patrolled the lane. Murray went 4-for-17 in the clincher.
“They enjoyed playing us,” Murray said. “We have to match that energy.”
Coach Adelman’s first full season
The spotlight now shifts to head coach David Adelman, who completed his first full year after replacing Mike Malone before the 2025 postseason. Jokic dismissed blame on the staff: “It’s not his fault we couldn’t rebound or catch the ball.”
Injuries and roster questions
Denver’s depth was tested throughout the matchup:
- Wing Peyton Watson missed the entire series with a hamstring strain and will enter restricted free agency in July.
- Starter Aaron Gordon sat out Games 3, 5 and 6 with a calf injury after recurring hamstring issues limited him to 36 regular-season contests; he has three years and $103.6 million remaining on his contract.
- Off-season acquisition Cam Johnson scored 27 points in Game 6 but combined for only 15 in the previous two road losses.
- Guard Christian Braun, whose five-year, $125 million extension begins next season, totaled 50 points over six games.
Denver finished the regular season 54-28 with an NBA-best 121.2 offensive rating but has now fallen in the first round one year after a seven-game second-round defeat to the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
“It felt like survival,” Adelman said of an injury-plagued campaign. The Nuggets enter the offseason facing potential roster tweaks while hoping their Jokic-Murray core can rebound from the most abrupt playoff exit of their tenure.
Source: ESPN
