Nikola Jovic agrees to four-year, $62.4 million extension with Heat
Published in Basketball
BOCA RATON, Fla. — One preseason waiting game is over for the Miami Heat, with an NBA source confirming to the Sun Sentinel that fourth-year forward Nikola Jovic has agreed to a four-year, $62.4 million extension.
The contract, according to the source, is a straight four years, with no option clause for either side, with the deal fully guaranteed.
The Heat entered training camp with an Oct. 20 deadline for extensions with Jovic and guard Tyler Herro. Herro is eligible for a three-year, $150 million extension, with that window opening Wednesday. Jovic had been extension eligible since the start of the offseason.
Jovic, selected No. 27 overall in the 2022 NBA draft out of Serbia, is due $4.5 million this season as the final year of his rookie scale deal. Had he not agreed to an extension by his Oct. 20 deadline — the day before the start of the 2025-26 NBA regular season — he would have been a restricted free agent next summer, with the Heat with the right to match outside offers.
With an ability to play as a playmaker and outside shooter at 6 feet 10, Jovic has stressed a desire to play as a starter this season, having closed last season as a reserve.
Seemingly in and out of the doghouse of coach Erik Spoelstra at times, Jovic figures to start the season with an increased role in the absence of Herro, who will miss at least the first month of the regular season following last month’s ankle surgery.
Herro said he expected his representation to open contract negotiations with the Heat on Wednesday.
Jovic, 22, last season appeared in 46 games, making 10 starts, averaging 10.7 points on .456 shooting, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists, in 25.1 minutes per game. He missed 30 games due to injury, including the final 27 of the regular season with a broken right hand.
In all, he has appeared in 107 regular-season games over his NBA career, making 56 starts and averaging 8.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 21.1 minutes per game.
In addition, Jovic started all six games for Serbia at FIBA EuroBasket this summer in his country’s run to the Round of 16, averaging 12.8 points on .600 shooting, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26.1 minutes per game while playing alongside Nikola Jokic.
Jovic becomes the fifth player from the 2022 draft class this offseason to sign an extension, joining the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero (No. 1 pick), the Houston Rockets’ Jabari Smith (No. 3) and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren (No. 2) and Jalen Williams (No. 12).
Jovic now stands as one of nine Heat players locked into contracts for the 2026-27 season, joining Herro, Bam Adebayo, Davion Mitchell, Kasparas Jakucionis, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson and Dru Smith. In addition, Andrew Wiggins holds a player option for 2026-27.
Wednesday’s agreement also makes Jovic the first player on the roster to be under contract through 2029-30. No other player on the Heat roster is under contract beyond 2028-29.
Because of the dramatic jump in Jovic’s salary a year from now, his contract becomes subject to the NBA’s poison-pill provision, making a trade less likely this coming season due to the inability to match salary-cap dollars.
Jovic entered camp confident of an extension.
“I’m not worried about it. I still have a year left on my deal, and I’ve got a lot of stuff to do and a lot of stuff to show, and we’ll see what’s going to happen in the next 20 days. Hopefully we end up figuring something out,” he said on Monday’s media day at Kaseya Center.
“I’m not really worried about it, because I know how much of a better player I am and how much I have to work more.”
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