Mar 14, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas (17) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Nuggets Executive Reveals New Update on Jonas Valanciunas

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jul 18, 2025 3:55 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets have been caught in an interesting dilemma since it was announced that they would be trading for Jonas Valanciunas from the Sacramento Kings for Dario Saric. It soon came out that Valanciunas had a strong interest in heading back to Europe to play for Panathinaikos, and they were just as interested in convincing Valanciunas to leave the NBA.

Denver held control of his contract, so there wasn't much Valanciunas or Panathinaikos could do if the Nuggets intended for him to honor his contract. They've been searching for a backup for Nikola Jokic for years, and Valanciunas would be the best backup Jokic has had.

John Hefti-Imagn Images

The Nuggets held a press conference to introduce forward Cameron Johnson, who was acquired in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets for Michael Porter Jr. During that press conference, new vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer was asked about Valanciunas and if the team has had any communication with the Lithuanian big man.

"Nothing but healthy conversations about him honoring his contract and him excited to be a Denver Nugget," Tenzer said. He also added that there have been "no concerns" about Valanciunas not honoring his contract, per Brendan Vogt.

Ben Tenzer was asked about communication with Jonas Valanciunas:

“Nothing but healthy conversations about him honoring his contract and him excited to be a Denver Nugget.”

He later added there are “no concerns” about Valanciunas NOT playing for Denver.
— Brendan Vogt (@BrendanVogt) July 18, 2025

Denver has had a fantastic offseason retooling around Jokic. The trade with Brooklyn, swapping Johnson and Porter Jr., helped open a lot of salary space. That allowed them to make the Valanciunas trade for Saric, as well as sign Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown. This is the deepest team they've had on paper since winning the championship in 2023.

Valanciunas is coming off a season averaging 10.4 PPG and 7.7 RPG in about 19 minutes per game split between the Kings and Washington Wizards. That is exactly what the Nuggets need behind Jokic.

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

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