Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Nikola Jokic headed for largest contract in NBA history after winning MVP

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 6/8/21

Nikola Jokic is the 2020-2021 NBA MVP, and that will translate to some big bucks for the big man.

Jokic, 26, averaged a career-high 26.4 points to go along with 10.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game this season. He led his Nuggets to the No. 3 spot in the West.

NBA MVP is one of the awards from the CBA that makes a player eligible for the largest max contract possible — the supermax. In order to sign the contract, Jokic would need to have played seven seasons in the league. He has played six so far.

By virtue of winning MVP, Nikola Jokic is now eligible to sign a super max contract in either the 2022 or 2023 offseason.

Jokic is not eligible this offseason because he is 1 year shy of the years of service criteria of 7.

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 8, 2021

If Jokic signs the supermax contract after next season, the deal is projected to be the largest in NBA history, according to Bobby Marks. Marks says the contract would be for five years at $241 million.

The Nikola Jokic super max extension in 2022 is projected to be the largest contract in NBA history.

*2023-24: $42.6M
2024-25: $44.9M
2025-26: $48.2M
2026-27: $51.5M
2027-28: $54.8M

Total of $241M

*Based on a salary cap of $121.5M

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 8, 2021

That is some major money.

Jokic is the first second-round pick to win NBA MVP in the common draft era. His path to this point has been improbable, but he is proving to be a great pick, and a franchise player. And he’ll be an extremely rich player soon.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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