Panathinaikos express clear intent in Denver Nuggets’ Jonas Valanciunas, ‘we want to sign him, he wants to join us’

Panathinaikos had no choice but to concede to the Nuggets

Throughout the 2025 NBA offseason, Panathinaikos and owner Dimitrios Giannakopoulos have campaigned for Valanciunas to join them. That would have been huge for the Greek team, as he is still a fantastic NBA-level center.

At 33, Valanciunas averaged 10.4 points and 7.7 rebounds across stints with the Washington Wizards and the Sacramento Kings . The Nuggets did well with the trade that sent Dario Saric to Sacramento and got the Lithuanian in return.

Unfortunately for the Nuggets, Valanciunas had his head turned by the offers he was receiving from Panathinaikos. Nuggets fans should now be thankful, as the team won the dispute, and they will have the Lithuanian. Denver was looking to get Al Horford if they could not secure Valanciunas, which would have been a savvy move.

“We want to sign him, he wants to join us, if his team doesn’t say ‘yes’, what can we do?” Panathinaikos’ owner, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, said on Instagram Live about the move.

Valanciunas is a fantastic addition to the Nuggets

With Valanciunas set to join the Nuggets, he will be the most talented backup big man to Jokic. He will provide relentless rebounding and a reliable touch around the rim. Defensively, he is competent enough to anchor the Nuggets’ defense.

It will be challenging for any team to beat the Nuggets when they have an elite center rotation. Of course, Jokic will start every game he’s available for. However, the Lithuanian is talented enough to get the starting spot at times.

With his improved offensive ability as a good paint scorer and decent shooter, Valanciunas is great. He could be a fantastic player for the Nuggets, especially with Jokic getting older. The Lithuanian might be older, but he suits the backup role.

The Nuggets have made massive improvements in the offseason. They traded Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson, and they re-signed Bruce Brown. Valanciunas is their third acquisition, and he might be just as important. With all these roster moves, the Nuggets will be formidable in the 2025-26 season.