Luka Doncic Hit With Terrible News Alongside Lakers’ Shattered Dream To Pair Nuggets Star Who Has $360 Million Future

Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic have joked for years about playing together. The Los Angeles Lakers now have to let that idea go. League sources told Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor that the Nuggets star plans to stay in Denver, and the news lands only days before the season opens.

Money is a big part of the puzzle. Jokic can sign a five-year, $360 million extension next summer, and he has already turned down a smaller offer to wait for it. Los Angeles still has one long shot left, but it is a thin one.

Why Nikola Jokic Is Expected To Stay In Denver Instead Of Joining Luka Doncic

Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports made the case on his podcast. Multiple league sources told him Jokic plans to sign that five-year deal with the Nuggets next summer. For Luka Doncic and the Lakers, it closes the most talked-about door in the league.

"Every league source I've spoken to over the years and in recent weeks has reiterated that no one really expects Jokic to leave Denver," O'Connor said.

This summer, Jokic turned down a four-year, $278 million extension and chose to wait a year. The wait has a clear payoff, because the new contract could become the richest in NBA history. The three-time MVP also said earlier this summer that his "desire is to play the rest of my life in Denver."

"But his desire to stay shouldn't make Denver comfortable with wasting another year of his prime," O'Connor said.

What The Jokic News Means For Luka Doncic And The Lakers

The Lakers have chased this pairing since they landed Doncic at the February 2025 trade deadline. The two are close friends away from the court, and both have played along. In 2024, with Doncic still in Dallas, Jokic said he did not want to leave Denver but that his friend was welcome if he ever got fed up with the Mavericks. Earlier this year, Doncic picked Jokic as his "ultimate" teammate in a hypothetical 2-on-2 game.

Los Angeles will not have cap room next summer if Jokic decides to join Doncic. The only workable route is a sign-and-trade built around the contracts of Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler or both. Every source O'Connor has spoken to says Jokic is not heading that way.

So the Lakers open the season with the group they built this summer. LeBron James left for Philadelphia. Doncic and Reaves are now the foundation, joined by Kessler, Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes. The reigning scoring leader averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists over 64 games last season, earned a sixth All-NBA First Team selection, and holds a three-year extension in Los Angeles.