BREAKING: Bookmakers Reveal Early Betting Odds for Nikola Jokić’s Next Team
Nikola Jokić‘s long-term future with the Denver Nuggets raises questions following their second straight second-round exit.
If Jokić leaves Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as the betting favorites to land the three-time NBA MVP.
Bovada sports betting odds have the Lakers as +310 favorites to become Jokic’s next team if he and the Nuggets part ways. The New York Knicks (+410) have the second-best odds. A distant third are the Boston Celtics (+800). Rounding up the top five betting favorites are the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, tied at +900, the Miami Heat (+1100) and the Los Angeles Clippers (+1200).
Completing Bovada’s betting list for Jokić’s next possible team are the Dallas Mavericks (+1400), Charlotte Hornets (+4500) and the Utah Jazz (+5000).
Jokić’s blunt assessment of the Nuggets as a championship contender raised eyebrows following their lopsided Game 7 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.
“I mean, we didn’t, so [we] obviously can’t,” Jokić told reporters. “If we could, we would win it. I don’t believe in those ‘If, if,’ stuff. We had the opportunity; we didn’t win, so I think we can’t.”
Clock Starts Ticking for Nikola Jokić in Denver
According to Bleacher Report’s salary cap expert Eric Pincus, Jokić is extension-eligible this offseason. He could add three years a three-year max worth $212.2 million if he declines his player option. But Pincus noted that the Nuggets star could also wait until the summer of 2026 for a four-year,$293.4 million max extension.
If Jokić does not sign an extension this summer, the Nuggets will be threading on a very thin ice entering what could be a pivotal season.
The Nuggets star appears to have applied some pressure on the ownership group with his comments about the team’s lack of depth compared to the remaining teams in contention for this year’s championship.
“It definitely seems like the teams that have longer rotations — longer benches — are the teams that are winning: Indiana, OKC, Minnesota,” Jokić observed.
Nuggets Mainstay Hints at Major Roster Shakeup
Nuggets’ sweet-shooting forward Michael Porter Jr. hinted at a potential shakeup in Denver after their disappointing loss in Game 7 to the Thunder.
“Everyone in this locker room means a lot to me,” Porter said, per The Denver Post. “I’m not sure if it’ll be the same exact group next year. But whatever’s next for me, whatever’s next for this team, I know that the guys will be ready for it.”
Porter Jr. has two years left on his five-year, $207 million max deal. The Nuggets owe him $79 million over the next two seasons.
Porter Jr. was a big letdown in the second round, failing to provide the necessary support which Jokić needed especially after the Thunder’s defense clamped on him.
The 26-year-old forward’s scoring dipped to 7.4 points on 32.3% field goal shooting and 25% from the 3-point line against the Thunder after he averaged 18.2 points on 50.4% field goal shooting and 39.5% from the 3-point line in the regular season.
Porter Jr. blamed it on a sprained left shoulder he sustained in their first-round win against the Clippers.
“I mean, I’m really devastated personally for just not being able to contribute how I wanted to and not being able to play the way I wanted to,” Porter Jr. told reporters. “I felt a little helpless out there, like I’m trying, but I just can’t go rebound how I want to, I can’t box out how I want to.”