The Warriors Think Jokic Might Actually Become Available

The Golden State Warriors are asking a question out loud that would have sounded like fantasy a year ago: are we sure Nikola Jokic is not going to become available next summer?

That is how NBA insider Jake Fischer put it on SiriusXM, in the reporting Bleacher Report's Zach Bachar carried on Thursday under the headline that Golden State's pursuit of "someone big" runs through Jokic and the 2027 free-agent class. Fischer said the Warriors are one of the teams hoping the answer breaks their way — “We could have max cap space, and we have Curry” — and quoted someone around the building saying the Warriors still believe they are a destination. Fischer added that Golden State believes Stephen Curry's presence could tempt Jokic to chase a ring alongside him.

None of this is a trade rumor. There is no offer, no talks, no request. It is a calendar play. Jokic is in the fourth year of the five-year, $276.1 million supermax he signed with the Denver Nuggets in 2022. His salary this season is $59 million, and the final year, 2027-28, is a player option worth $62.8 million. If he declines it by June 29, 2027, the three-time MVP becomes an unrestricted free agent that summer — and every dollar Golden State is protecting is aimed at that exact window.

The Warriors have been building toward 2027 for a while. Sam Amick of The Athletic reported back in September 2025 that Golden State wanted to “maintain maximum flexibility for that 2027 summer,” knowing Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo both hold player options for 2027-28 — and that the Lakers and Clippers had sent similar signals. Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are also set to come off Golden State's books in that window, which is how a team that looks capped out today can walk into 2027 holding max space.

Now the part that keeps this a rumor and not a plan: Jokic keeps saying he is staying. At Nuggets media day he told reporters he plans to sign a new deal with Denver next summer — “I'm going to sign next year,” he said. “If they want me.” His patience is also just business. By waiting, he can decline the option and sign a new max contract with Denver projected to be the largest in league history. ESPN's Zach Lowe has said there has never been a whisper that Jokic wants to play anywhere else.

So read the Warriors' hope for what it is. Denver has started the season slowly, the roster around Jokic is expensive and hard to change, and Golden State is positioning for the one scenario where the best player in the world shakes loose: a frustrated superstar, a max slot, and Curry still standing there as the pitch. Jokic has given them nothing but a door that is technically, contractually, not locked. Until he signs the extension he says is coming, teams like the Warriors will keep standing in front of it.