Apr 13, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas (17) runs down the court during the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Golden 1 Center. John Hefti-Imagn Images

Kings Trade Away Jonas Valanciunas in First Offseason Deal

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Sean Ackerman | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 12:32 PM ET

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The Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets have agreed to terms on a player swap that sees veteran center Jonas Valanciunas leave California's capital with Denver sending Dario Saric in return (per Shams Charania | ESPN).

Valanciunas landed with the Kings in a February trade with the Washington Wizards that sent Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks. He appeared in 32 games for the Kings, starting in nine.

Valanciunas was brought in as an established big man who could dominate the glass, and he did just that. He averaged 8.7 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 16.9 minutes per game with Sacramento last season.

The Sacramento Kings are trading Jonas Valanciunas to the Denver Nuggets for Dario Saric, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/D2Xmbm4DN1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2025

Saric, on the other hand, had a down year with the Nuggets. He appeared in only 16 games, averaging 3.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 13.1 minutes per game.

In terms of player quality, it seems clear that Valanciunas is better in the paint. He is owed about $10 million next season, while Saric is owed just $5 million. So, it's likely the Kings wanted to dump his salary.

Jonas Valanciunas led the #NBA in rebounds per-minute among qualified players while shooting 67% finishing inside and makign 44% of his hook shots last season.
— Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) July 1, 2025

Valanciunas led the NBA in rebounds per minute last season and filled in nicely for Domantas Sabonis when Sabonis was off the court. It's hard to know if the Kings expect Saric to be a rotational piece next season, but looking at his numbers, it'd be hard to defend this deal.

Sacramento is Saric's fourth team in the last four years as he continues to bounce around the league. His best season came in 2017-18, when he was a member of the "Trust the Process" Philadelphia 76ers team, which finished the season third in the Eastern Conference. Saric averaged 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in 73 starts that year.

Sacramento will hope their new big man can return to form ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.

This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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