The 2027 offseason is still two years away, yet teams like the Lakers and Bucks are already making plans for the future from now. It seems that the two teams are likely to go all-in on a battle for the three-time MVP Nikola Jokic’s potential signature if he decides to become a free agent.
As per interpretations of Sam Amick, the NBA insider, who appeared on the Zach Lowe Show, the Bucks are reportedly happy that they have been named as a potential landing spot for Jokic if he decides to leave the Nuggets.
“I had a Bucks person give me a hard time and say they were just happy that I included Joker in a column about (20)27, because they were tired of Giannis being by himself,” said Amick.
However, that is not what the NBA Insider meant. He issued a clarification on X after a post went viral on social media that the Bucks want to pair Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“This tweet completely misconstrues what I said, fyi. It was a reference to the fact that I discussed Giannis AND Jokic as dream targets for OTHER teams in 2027 – not to play together (on the Bucks or anywhere else).”
“‘Being by himself’ is a reference to the 2027 discussion in the media/around the league,” wrote Amick on X to debunk this fake rumor.
This offseason began with a lot of interesting rumors and promising updates on teams, including major trades and contract extensions. Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo both found themselves in the news for varying reasons.
Reports claimed that Antetokounmpo is open to considering a move out of the Bucks until Antetokounmpo himself had to reassure the people in Milwaukee that he is going nowhere. Nikola Jokic reportedly did not sign his contract extension, following which he would become eligible for a much larger contract if he is patient.
But some experts even suspected that it was a potential sign that Jokic might consider becoming a free agent in 2027 if negotiations fall apart in 2026. Almost instantly, there were rumors that the Lakers could target Nikola Jokic in 2027.
Therefore, now with the Bucks potentially in the race, the two teams are expected to battle it out for Jokic’s signature if he decides to leave.
While Jokic has constantly reassured his loyalty to the Nuggets, here is where the Lakers might edge ahead of the Bucks in the race for Jokic. Luka Dončić shares a close personal relationship with Nikola Jokic, and they have displayed their chemistry off the court on multiple occasions.
When Doncic was with the Mavericks, Jokic openly addressed potentially teaming up with him, but said he would have to leave Dallas and join him in Denver. Maybe if the destination changes from Dallas to Los Angeles, Jokic could change his mind?
Now with that context in mind, let’s analyze the likelihood of Jokic leaving the Nuggets to join Antetokounmpo on the Bucks. The key questions that come to mind when you think of Jokic becoming a free agent are very simple.
Why would the Nuggets not agree to his terms when he won them their first NBA championship? And if the negotiations do somehow fail and Jokic becomes a free agent, why would he not want to join a close friend in one of the biggest teams in the league?
Even if the Bucks offer him money, which he finds hard to refuse (he would likely not consider it, considering his personality and lack of interest in money), why would he want to play with someone he has no personal connection with? That, too, over someone he publicly acknowledged wanting to play with?
Therefore, this number of variables shows that the Bucks are still far from being the favorites to sign Jokic, and they will have to have a lot of chips falling in place for them to eventually convince Jokic to play in Milwaukee.
Considering that this is a plan for 2027, it will be interesting to see if the Bucks make serious moves to make salary cap space for 2027 to take a shot at signing Jokic. But as far as any NBA fan can tell, every team in the league would be interested if Jokic became a free agent; therefore, the Bucks are seriously unlikely to land Jokic, even if this rumor of their interest is false.
