Panathinaikos Attempted to Sign Jokic and Will Try Again in 2027

Some statements sound like jokes until you look at the details. Dimitris Giannakopoulos revealed on the Euro Insiders podcast that this summer he submitted a formal offer for Nikola Jokic—to both the player and the Denver Nuggets—and received a rejection. He warned that he plans to repeat the attempt next year.

The owner of Panathinaikos AKTOR didn't mince words when describing his obsession: there is one player who eludes him, he said, and that is Jokic, whom he considers the best in the world. Just in case anyone took it as a joke, he added a warning in the form of a playful threat: if he doesn't sign him, he won't move from where he is.

The offer existed and lasted briefly

According to his account, the operation he explored consisted of buying out the final year of the Serbian player's contract to bring him out of the NBA. It's the usual route when a European club wants a player with an active contract on the other side of the Atlantic, and also the most expensive.

Denver's response, in his version, came almost before the question was finished. Giannakopoulos reproduced the reaction with his characteristic theatricality: nobody in the franchise quite knew which team or which country they were being talked about, and the conversation closed in a matter of seconds. His conclusion was as brief as the attempt: they'll have to wait until next year.

The problem isn't ambition, it's the numbers

This is where the dream collides with arithmetic. Jokic has committed earnings of approximately $59 million for the 2026-27 season and has a player option worth close to $62.8 million for 2027-28. No EuroLeague salary structure comes anywhere close to those figures.

And what comes after is even more discouraging. If he waits until the summer of 2027, the center will be able to sign an extension estimated at five years and $359.5 million, which would be the most expensive contract in NBA history. Signing it now would give him four years and approximately $278 million. Eighty million dollars difference for waiting twelve months: few professional decisions are so straightforward to make.

The player himself cleared up any doubts in July. His stated intention is to sign next summer and finish his career in Denver.

An impossible plan for the best center on the planet

The Greek executive's insistence makes sense when you look at what the Serbian did last season: 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game across 65 games, leading the league in the last two categories. An average triple-double sustained throughout an entire season that, nonetheless, only earned him second place in the MVP voting behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Three-time MVP, eight-time All-NBA, and 2023 champion, the Sombor native is the kind of player worth making a fool of yourself trying for. Giannakopoulos has already done it once. He says he'll be back.