Team Owner Tried To ‘Buy Jokic Out Of His Contract’ To Lure Him To New Destination

Is it possible that Nikola Jokic, arguably the best player of this generation, could leave the Denver Nuggets—even the NBA??—in the near future? 

Panathinaikos made Jokic 'serious' offer to join the Greek Giants.

You read that right.

And the EuroLeague side are going to try again.@anthonyVslater writes 📝: https://t.co/TYUxhLEkn5 pic.twitter.com/drGTYNrzQx

— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) August 11, 2026

According to an ESPN report, Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos made a "very serious" offer for Jokic to join his Greek club, while trying to buy him out of the one year left on his NBA contract. 

“There is one player who remains a dream of mine, whom I haven’t signed yet, but I will sign next year. It’s Jokic, the best player in the world… I tried to buy out the last year of his contract, but I was rejected. Let’s wait for next year.”

"Giannakopoulos said he made a 'proposal' to the Denver Nuggets to buy Nikola Jokic out of the final season of his current NBA deal," wrote Anthony Slater.

Jokic actually has two seasons and $121.8 million left on his current contract, but the second season is a player option. He could choose to become a free agent next summer. 

It's true that Jokic had a chance to sign a long-term supermax extension worth $278M with Denver this summer, but he hasn't done it. The Joker said that his that his "idea and desire is to stay in Denver for the rest of his career," but the lure of an insane, all-time high five-year, $359.5 million extension next summer, which he'd be eligible for, is something he's eyeing. 

However, Dave McMenamin of ESPN says that if the Nuggets aren't a true championship contender this season, and Panathinaikos is still hanging around, this could get interesting...

“If [Denver] has a season where they go off the rails or they don’t appear to be one of the best teams in the West… [Jokic] could make money a lot of places."

Dave McMenamin on Nikola Jokic's future with the Nuggets 👀

(via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/ME90KEltLM

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 11, 2026

“If [Denver] has a season where they go off the rails or they don’t appear to be one of the best teams in the West… [Jokic] could make money a lot of places," said McMenamin."

"This is a paramount season for them to prove as an organization that you can still be the best player in the world and have a chance to contend for a championship.

"It would have to make him recalculate things if they don't get back to the level they were (at) three years ago when they won the chip."