Greek club owner's lucrative bid for Nikola Jokic rejected.

Dimitrios Giannakopoulos, owner of the Panathinaikos basketball club in Athens, Greece, recently revealed that he made a serious offer to the Denver Nuggets and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in hopes of buying out his contract, but the Nuggets rejected it immediately.

Jokic currently has two seasons remaining on his contract, worth a total of $121.8 million, with a player option for the 2026-27 season. Although he was eligible to sign a four-year, $278 million maximum contract extension in June of this year, he postponed the extension due to financial planning considerations.

According to analysis, if 31-year-old Jokic re-signs with the Nuggets in 2027, he will be eligible to sign a five-year, $359.5 million contract, the largest in NBA history.

Despite Nikola Jokic's repeated expressions of wanting to finish his career in Denver, Giannakopoulos hasn't given up. He stated that although the Nuggets quickly rejected their pursuit this summer, he will launch another aggressive offensive in 2027 as Jokic may opt out of his contract and become a free agent next summer. Previously, the owner had successfully poached veteran center Jonas Valanciunas from the Nuggets.

Currently, the Nuggets have opted to retain their core, high-salary roster during the offseason, only adding center Marvin Bagley III and matching his offer to retain backup wing Spencer Jones. Despite lucrative offers and attempts to poach him from European powerhouses, the Nuggets remain fully committed to keeping this cornerstone player.

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