Nuggets Do Not Intend To Let Jonas Valanciunas Out Of His NBA Contract

According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Denver Nuggets do not intend to let Jonas Valanciunas out of his NBA contract.

Valanciunas, who was traded by the Sacramento Kings to the Nuggets, wants to leave the NBA for Panathinaikos.

“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,” Stein wrote.

Valanciunas played for the Washington Wizards and Kings last season. He averaged 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 55.0% from the field, 21.6% from beyond the arc and 87.9% from the free-throw line. 

Valanciunas has appeared in 937 NBA games with the Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Wizards and Kings. He has career averages of 13.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists. 

“One league source said Saturday that it was still too soon to say definitively how this saga will play out but acknowledged that the prospect of Valančiūnas having to stay with the Nuggets in the end was very much still on the table,” Stein wrote. 

The Nuggets won the 2023 championship against the Miami Heat. Since then, they have lost in the second round of the playoffs two years in a row. 

Denver lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 conference semifinals in seven games and fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 conference semifinals in seven games. 

The Nuggets have been busy this offseason. Along with trading for Valanciunas, they traded Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson and signed Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr.