The future of Nikola Jokic was once again at the center of international basketball conversations after Dimitrios Giannakopoulos, owner of Panathinaikos Athens, revealed that he tried to sign the Serbian center this year and assured that he will try again when the player can negotiate as a free agent.

The revelation occurred during an interview on the Euro Insiders podcast and was surprising due to the magnitude of the objective set by the Greek leader.

"Many will say: 'He's joking.' But I made a very serious proposal this year to both his team and him. I received a rejection. I know he has one more year left on his contract," Giannakopoulos said.

As he explained, his intention was for Denver to release Jokic from the final stretch of his current contract to facilitate a possible landing in European basketball.

The Nuggets' response, he said, was immediate. "It took them a few seconds to say: 'Who? Greece? Where? What? Goodbye.' But let's wait for next year," he added.

Jokic's contract keeps the discussion open

Although Giannakopoulos spoke of “one year” remaining, Jokic still has two seasons and $121.8 million outstanding with Denver. The second season is a player option, a circumstance that would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The Serbian can already sign a maximum extension of four years and 278 million dollars from June 14, but has not yet made a final decision.

Jokic has publicly stated that his “idea and desire” is to remain in Denver throughout his career, although he also explained that he plans to wait before committing to a renewal for financial reasons.

If he decides to wait until July 2027, he could agree to a five-year, $359.5 million extension, a figure that would be the largest contract in NBA history.

Panathinaikos insists and thinks about 2027

The Greek leader made it clear that the current refusal does not modify his plans.

He assured that he will contact the player's entourage again when he is free to negotiate and even challenged the hosts of the program to consult with Jokic's agent, Misko Raznatovic, if the proposal made this summer was really serious.

The statement comes just months after another attempt by Panathinaikos to attract a player from Denver. Giannakopoulos also sought to convince Jonas Valanciunas to leave the NBA, although the center ended up completing the season with the Nuggets before leaving this summer for Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania.

Meanwhile, Denver has maintained the core of its roster. The franchise added veteran Marvin Bagley III, retained Spencer Jones by matching an offer from Oklahoma City and continues to negotiate Peyton Watson's contract situation.

For now, Jokic remains a Nuggets player and has shown no signs of an immediate departure, but the Panathinaikos owner's statements reopened a scenario that seemed unlikely: the possibility of seeing the three-time NBA MVP playing in Europe in the future.

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