Jonas Valanciunas had a complicated path to travel in order to arrive with the Denver Nuggets after his trade away from the Sacramento Kings. Nuggets fans were surely shocked when they saw all the franchise needed to pay for acquiring a quality backup center like Valanciunas was Dario Saric. Rumors began to circulate around Valanciunas eyeing a move across the ocean to join Panathinaikos Athens.
Jonas Valanciunas "Fully Committed" to Nuggets After Chaotic Offseason originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Jonas Valanciunas had a complicated path to travel in order to arrive with the Denver Nuggets after his trade away from the Sacramento Kings. That journey involved a brief detour in Europe before ultimately firmly landing in the Mile High City.
Nuggets fans were surely shocked when they saw all the franchise needed to pay for acquiring a quality backup center like Valanciunas was Dario Saric. Perhaps there was a reason for that.
Rumors began to circulate around Valanciunas eyeing a move across the ocean to join Panathinaikos Athens. Suddenly, Nikola Jokic's first reliable backup center in years appeared to be a massive flight risk from the Nuggets.
Valanciunas opens up about whirlwind offseason
BasketNews delivered a clear statement from Valanciunas about his future. The veteran center spoke to the outlet in an attempt to clarify where things stood after a back and forth offseason.
Valanciunas said, ""I want to clear the air about my playing situation next season now that Denver has made their decision to keep me."
The NBA veteran continued, "The idea of playing for Panathinaikos, closer to home, was very exciting to me, but that will have to wait. I am fully committed to honoring my contract with the Nuggets this season and will give it my all to compete for a championship."
Valanciunas will be entering the second year of his current contract. The bruising big man is on the books for $10.4 million in 2025-26. The Nuggets can also choose keep him around for 2026-27 at $10.0 million, if that is what they desire.
Denver will have an easy out from paying Valanciunas in the future, should they want it. The backup big man can be waived without penalty by the Nuggets during the next offseason with the lack of current guarantees on his 2026-27 season.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
