Jokic-Panathinaikos, Nuggets say no: “I’ll try again”

Bringing Nikola Jokic to EuroLeague sounds like one of those moves that could only happen on NBA 2K. And yet, in Athens, someone decided to actually try. Dimitris Giannakopoulos, owner of Panathinaikos, revealed that he made a concrete offer to pry the three-time MVP away from the Denver Nuggets.

This was not simply a joke or one of the many dreams that surface during the summer. During the Euro Insiders podcast, Giannakopoulos explained that he reached out directly, also speaking with Misko Raznatovic, Nikola Jokic’s agent, to see whether there was a path to bringing the Serbian center to Greece.

There’s one player who remains my dream and who I haven’t gotten yet, but I’ll get him next year. It’s Nikola Jokic, the best player in the world. Don’t laugh. If I don’t get Jokic, I’m not going anywhere

Dimitris Giannakopoulos

Those were certainly ambitious words, but the Panathinaikos owner added an even more interesting detail: the attempt had already been made this summer.

Giannakopoulos’s idea was to reach an agreement with Denver to buy Jokic out of his NBA contract and allow him to immediately move to Europe.

I made a very serious offer this year, both to his team and to him. I got a no. I knew he still had one year left on his contract and I tried to buy out his final year

Dimitris Giannakopoulos

The Nuggets’ response, at least according to the Panathinaikos owner’s account, left very little room for negotiation.

It took them a few seconds to respond: “Who? Greece? Where? What? Bye.” But let’s wait until next year

Dimitris Giannakopoulos

And it is precisely that “let’s wait until next year” that makes the story even more intriguing.

Jokic Could Become a Free Agent in 2027

The timing mentioned by Giannakopoulos is no coincidence. Nikola Jokic will earn $59 million during the 2026-27 NBA season and has a player option worth approximately $62.8 million for 2027-28.

If he declines the option, the Serbian center could therefore become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027.

Jokic has already chosen not to sign the extensions offered by the Nuggets over the past two years. A decision that, at least for now, appears to be driven primarily by financial considerations rather than a desire to leave Denver.

By waiting until 2027, the center could become eligible for a new deal worth approximately $359.5 million over five years with the Denver Nuggets, potentially the richest contract in NBA history.

Jokic himself has repeatedly indicated that his intention is to spend the rest of his career in Denver. In other words, imagining him wearing a Panathinaikos jersey remains extremely difficult.

But Giannakopoulos has already shown that he has no problem thinking big. The first attempt was rejected within seconds. In the summer of 2027, at least according to his promise, the second one will come.