Nikola Jokic's Trade Status Discussed by NBA Exec Amid Nuggets' Struggles to Start 2026 Season

Amid a 3-3 start to the season for the Denver Nuggets after an offseason that was roundly criticized for not trying to maximize the talent around their superstar center, Nikola Jokić's status is being closely monitored around the NBA.

As one NBA executive told The Ringer's Howard Beck, the 29 teams outside of Denver are "not doing their job" correctly if they aren't at least thinking of ways to get Jokić.

"Twenty-nine executives are not doing their job if they're not constantly thinking about how to get Jokić on their team," the exec said.

Jokić, who is in the final season of his current contract, said in September he plans to sign a new deal with the Nuggets next summer.

There is financial incentive for Jokić to wait because he can sign for up to five years and $359.5 million. If he extends off his current deal, he would be limited to a four-year contract worth up to $278 million.

However, waiting does also raise the question of how appealing the Nuggets will look to Jokić by the time they get to the offseason.

Coming off a first-round playoff loss last season, the Nuggets' summer included losing Peyton Watson in a sign-and-trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, losing Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency and using the waive-and-stretch provision to move on from Jonas Valančiūnas.

The primary additions in Denver were DeMar DeRozan and Marvin Bagley III.

B/R's Grant Hughes graded the offseason moves for all 30 teams prior to the start of the regular season. Denver's grade of D-minus was tied with the Washington Wizards for second-worst, ahead of only the Los Angeles Clippers with an F.

Watson is off to a slow start in Cleveland so that move may not look as egregious in hindsight, but the lack of any significant addition to support a strong trio of Jokić, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon has the Nuggets looking rather sluggish right now.

"They've obviously struggled to build around him since the championship because of the financial constraints," an executive told Beck. "Do they finally just say: All right, he's 31 now; do we just pull the trigger because he's got a huge extension coming up this summer, and then it's going to be even harder to build around the guy?"

The Nuggets are 3-3 through their first six games, but they rank 16th in offensive rating and 23rd in defensive rating. They are the only team at .500 or better with a negative net rating (minus-2.9).

Denver hasn't finished a season outside of the top 10 in offensive rating since Jokić's rookie year in 2015-16.

There has been no indication from Jokić's side he is looking to leave the Nuggets, so perhaps any potential trade or free-agent speculation will end up meaning nothing.

But the way this season has started isn't easing any of the concerns about how Denver's roster looked after a disappointing summer for the franchise.