Veteran center Jonas Valanciunas looks to be staying with the Denver Nuggets to play behind Nikola Jokic next season.
After a confusing turn of events following his trade from the Sacramento Kings to Denver for Dario Saric, the team expects the 33-year-old to play with them next year. Originally, Valanciunas was fielding offers from European teams, but Nuggets Vice President of Basketball Operations Ben Tenzer cleared the air.
“There’s been nothing but healthy conversations in terms of him honoring his contract and him excited to be a Nugget,” Tenzer said of Valanciunas during the team’s introductory press conference for Cam Johnson. “No concerns.”
Valanciunas has two years left on a $30 million deal he signed last summer. The Nuggets will be the fifth team Valanciunas has played for since 2020, after most recently spending last season on both the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans.
Valanciunas’ Offseason Rumors
After Denver acquired the veteran center from Sacramento, rumors surfaced that EuroBasket powerhouse Panathinaikos had offered Valanciunas a ‘lucrative‘ contract for next season. The Greek team was reportedly prepared to buy out the remainder of his NBA deal to bring him overseas.
Nuggets executive vice president of player personnel, Jonathan Wallace, commented on Valanciunas and his future with the team. He said that they expect the center to return to Denver after he plays with Lithuania at the FIBA EuroBasket tournament this summer.
“Their plan is for him to get here sooner than later, but still working through that,” Wallace said. “We’ll approach it at that time.”
Valanciunas is the NBA’s all-time leader in Play-In Tournament points and rebounds. He has appeared in each of the six iterations of the Play-In, the only player to do so.
Through his 13 seasons, Valanciunas has averaged 13.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 56% shooting. The veteran ranks fifth in total rebounds in the NBA since 2013, while his shooting average ranks 21st amongst all players in the past decade.
Nuggets Ready For Another Title Run
Along with adding Valanciunas, Denver has made other big moves over the offseason in hopes of returning to their title-winning form from 2023. Most notably, they made a massive trade that sent Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for Cam Johnson.
The Nuggets also signed Bruce Brown on a one-year deal, a player who was key in their championship run. Additionally, they added Tim Hardaway Jr. in hopes of sure-upping wing depth as a proven scorer off the bench.
Former MVP Russell Westbrook declined his $3.4 million player option for next season with Denver, and the team now expects to lose him in free agency. The NBA’s all-time triple-double leader came off the bench in more than half of the Nuggets’ games last season, but has yet to sign a deal with any team for next year.
After the team fired both head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth after reported tensions, the new staff and front office have turned Denver into one of the busiest teams over the offseason.
Following their loss to the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the second round of the 2025 playoffs, the Nuggets hope to return next season as top title favorites in the West.
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