Dec 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) is fouled while driving to the basket by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

New Nuggets Player Expected to Leave Team in '10 Days'

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 12:53 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets have been at the forefront of one of the most interesting situations the NBA has seen. The Nuggets have reportedly agreed to a trade with the Sacramento Kings to acquire veteran center Jonas Valanciunas in exchange for Dario Saric, but the deal has become more complicated.

The Nuggets finally found a reliable backup center to put behind three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, but now there is a chance that Valanciunas never puts on a Nuggets uniform? After the reported trade, there was plenty of chatter about Valanciunas leaving the NBA entirely to join Greek Panathinaikos of the EuroLeague.

Jonas Valančiūnas is nearing a move to Panathinaikos, signaling a potential departure from the NBA, per @BasketNews_com pic.twitter.com/4liSLw57y1
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 3, 2025

Even if Valanciunas wants to leave for Greece, the Nuggets would ultimately have to release him from his contract, which they reportedly do not plan to do.

"League sources told The Stein Line on Saturday that the Nuggets, behind the scenes, are signaling to Valančiūnas that they do not intend to let him out of his NBA contract," NBA insider Marc Stein wrote on Sunday.

The Nuggets are “optimistic” that Jonas Valanciunas will be in Denver this season, per @TheSteinLine

Behind the scenes, the Nuggets are signaling to Valanciunas that they do not intend to let him out of his NBA contract.

Stein’s latest: https://t.co/1fXzWaUxRa pic.twitter.com/pGdpqfnMOD
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) July 6, 2025

Still, there are two sides to this. While the Nuggets feel like they can entice Valanciunas to stay in Denver, the people at Panathinaikos are anticipating Valanciunas to make the move to Greece.

"In about 10 days we will be here again," the people at Panathinaikos reportedly said as they expect the arrival of Valanciunas, per Gazzetta's Eftychia Economides.

Valanciunas would be a very valuable backup center to have in Denver, but it is challenging for a team to hold onto a player when they are actively in talks to join a new team.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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