![\"Rob](\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/GettyImages-2173594928-e1734481749905.jpg?quality=65&strip=all&w=780\")
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When the Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth on April 8, Nikola Jokic\u2018s future with the franchise was called into question. Almost immediately, analysts and oddsmakers linked the Lakers to Jokic, citing Luka Doncic\u2019s close friendship with the three-time MVP.<\/p>\n
Sadly for the Lakers, the Jokic pipe dream was just that. According to ESPN\u2019s Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne, the leaguewide expectation is for Jokic to sign a three-year contract extension with the Nuggets in the 2025 offseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cJokic is eligible to sign a three-year, $212 million extension this summer,\u201d they wrote on April 11. \u201cThe assumption around the league is that he will do so. But if there\u2019s even a slight pause in his decision-making, it will be devastating for the Nuggets.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The idea of Jokic, 30, playing out his entire career in Denver isn\u2019t far-fetched. In a 2021 interview with Serbian radio station \u201cRTS Prikazuje,\u201d Jokic said he hopes to become the Nuggets\u2019\u00a0version of Tim Duncan, who spent his entire career in San Antonio.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I came to Denver, I said that I would love to be Denver\u2019s Tim Duncan, because he played his whole career in San Antonio. God willing, I would love to play my whole career in Denver,\u201d Jokic had said.<\/em><\/p>\n As enticing as a Jokic-Doncic pairing sounds, the Lakers\u2019 best bet of upgrading at the center position could happen via free agency or trade in the 2025 offseason. The franchise isn\u2019t flush with cap space, but could potentially open up to $20M if LeBron James opts out of his $52M player option and takes a haircut on a new deal.<\/p>\n According to\u00a0ClutchPoints\u2019 Brett Siegel, James has every intention to do whatever is necessary to help the Lakers bolster the roster via free agency.<\/p>\n \u201cLeBron will likely opt out of his $50.6 million player option, but he is not expected to leave Los Angeles, league sources told ClutchPoints,\u201d wrote Siegel . \u201cThis has been James\u2019 strategy through the years, signing those unique \u201c1+1\u201d contracts which give him and the Lakers flexibility to adjust their cap numbers accordingly.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLast offseason, James made it clear to Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office that he would be willing to take a slight pay cut if it meant them targeting impactful talents who could increase the team\u2019s championship odds. He will very likely do the same this summer, allowing Los Angeles to add more talent around him and Luka Doncic.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n If the Lakers do hunt the market for a new center, they\u2019ll have no shortage of options. Brook Lopez,\u00a0Clint Capela, Myles Turner,\u00a0Naz Reid\u00a0(Player Option with Minnesota), Steven Adams, Al Horford and\u00a0Kevon Looney\u00a0are all\u00a0set to become free agents.<\/p>\n The Lakers have over $120M in\u00a0guaranteed salaries\u00a0for the 2025-26 season but will enjoy a lot of roster flexibility in 2026-07, when they\u2019d have less than $20M committed.<\/p>\n Many insiders believe the 2026 offseason will see the Lakers land another superstar-level talent to pair with Doncic and Austin Reaves. That could also be the team\u2019s first season in the post-LeBron James era.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When the Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth on April 8, Nikola Jokic\u2018s future with the franchise was called into question. Almost… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":52536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nLakers Could Seek Big In Free Agency<\/h2>\n
A Huge Pool of Available Big Men<\/h2>\n