BOCA RATON — 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 Tuesday. 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 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.
Jovic, 22, last season appeared in 46 games, making 10 starts, averaging 10.7 points on .456 shooting from the field, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists, in 25.1 minutes per game. He also missed 30 games due to injury, missing the final 27 with a broken right hand.
In all, he has appeared in 107 regular season games over his NBA career, making 56 starts. averaging 8.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 21.1 minutes per game.
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In addition, he started all six games for Serbia at FIBA EuroBasket this past 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.
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.
Tuesday’s agreement also makes Jovic the first player on the roster to be under contract through 2029-30. No other player on the 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 league’s poison-pill provision, making a trade less likely this coming season.
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.”
