BOCA RATON — A day after agreeing to a four-year, $62.4 million contract extension, Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic said Thursday that money won’t change the man.
“I feel I’m going to be the same person I was coming in,” he said after the Heat completed their third day of training camp at Florida Atlantic University.
But Jovic also said the commitment from the team was meaningful on a personal level.
“It just shows they respect me and they want me here,” he said, about to begin his fourth season after arriving as the No. 27 pick in the 2022 NBA draft out of Serbia. “So I got a little extra boost knowing that I can show what I can do. As simple as that. I’m still going to do my thing and try to be the best player as possible.”
From an 18-year-old neophyte to, now, a 22-year-old contending for a starting role, Jovic said the job now feels as much like family as work.
“Them coming to Serbia and seeing me, meeting my family, I felt like a part of the family,” he said of a trip in August by coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff. “That’s the moment where, ‘OK, I feel like these guys really respect me.’
“I’m happy this ownership and this organization sees the talent and sees the work I put in, and I’ll make sure and give my everything to make this contract worth a lot more.”
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 July 1.
Jovic 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 again as a starter this season, having closed last season as a reserve. That perseverance, he said, will not dissipate.
“I feel like it’s really important to stay humble and know where you come from and know how hard you worked for those things,” he said.
Jovic 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.
“I felt like last year, before I got injured, I really felt like I can help this team win. From there, even after the injury, I felt like they knew what I bring. They know what I can bring to the table and how I can help this team win.”
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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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.
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.
All of which is fine, he said, with Jovic having planted roots in South Florida.
“This actually is my second home,” he said. “I have never been anywhere else, in Belgrade, Serbia, and now here. I feel great here. This year, I actually missed Miami for the first time. Maybe one day I actually end living here. Who knows?”
Jakucionis sidelined
Jakucionis was held out of practice Thursday due to a sprained left wrist. An MRI on June’s first-round pick out of Illinois came back negative.
The Heat conclude their four-day FAU camp Friday before leaving for Puerto Rico, where they will play their preseason opener Saturday night against the Orlando Magic, the start of a six-game exhibition schedule.
