By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic won’t join the Serbian national team in the June-July World Cup Qualifiers games because of his contract situation.
Jokic revealed that Serbia head coach Sasa Djordjevic had already excluded him from his roster plans for the above reason. After all, the Nuggets can potentially offer to the Serb big man a max contract extension.
“I talked to Sale [Sasa Djordjevic]. He told me he wasn’t planning on me. He knows what my contract situation is, so he doesn’t make his plans with me,” Jokic said to journalists during the Serbian League game between his former team Mega Leks and Partizan Belgrade, per Sport Klub. “We will see for the deal. When it comes to the new contract, nothing will be known until July 7.”
Serbia is at the second place of Group G with a 3 – 1 record and already qualified to the next stage. All teams carry their first-round results to the next phase of the World Cup Qualifiers.
Jokic also talked about his offseason training plans in Serbia.
“I will start training nine days ago. My trainers from the USA will arrive then. I’m getting ready, slowly. In Serbia, I want to spend as much time as I can in Sombor. In August, I should return to America. Now I use my free time to rest and enjoy myself.”