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Nuggets Get Unexpected News on Newly Acquired Player

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zachary Rainey | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 7:13 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets are undergoing massive changes during this offseason. In fact, many significant changes came at the end of the regular season, when they made the shocking decision to fire head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.

Even without Malone, the Nuggets were impressive in the playoffs, defeating the then-red-hot Los Angeles Clippers, who had nine out of their last 10 games heading into the postseason. While it took timely offensive rebounding and Russell Westbrook shooting 41.9% from three, the Nuggets prevailed in seven games. Although they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the subsequent series, they pushed the eventual champions to a seven-game series.

Nuggets get unexpected news on newly acquired player

The Nuggets later named Adelman the full-time head coach, with Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace leading the charge from the front office in what has been an active period for Denver. The Nuggets made a shocking trade when they sent Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected first-round pick in 2032 to the Brooklyn Nets for forward Cameron Johnson.

Shortly after, the Nuggets announced they were signing former fan-favorite guard Bruce Brown. Shortly after, they announced that they were sending Dario Saric to the Sacramento Kings for Jonas Valanciunas. However, according to a recent report, Valanciunas' future with the Nuggets seems unclear.

"Jonas Valanciunas is close to leaving the NBA and joining Greece's Panathinaikos Athens, per BasketNews. Valanciunas was traded to the Nuggets just two days ago but has reportedly been lured by Panathinaikos' 3-year €12 million offer," a ClutchPoints X.com post read.

Jonas Valanciunas is close to leaving the NBA and joining Greece's Panathinaikos Athens, per @BasketNews_com.

Valanciunas was traded to the Nuggets just two days ago but has reportedly been lured by Panathinaikos' 3-year €12 million offer pic.twitter.com/bheQDGma2Z
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 3, 2025

At 33 years old, Valanciunas has played 13 seasons in the NBA. He played for the Washington Wizards last season before being traded to the Kings. He averaged 8.7 points and seven rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game.

Valanciunas has two years and roughly $20.4 million remaining on his deal. It remains unclear if he would retire or take a buyout to play for Panathinaikos next season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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