The Denver Nuggets are off to a terrific start to their offseason, as they’ve earned high marks for their wheeling and dealing to open NBA free agency. Two of their biggest moves this week came by way of trades.
The first sent Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first round pick to Brooklyn for Cam Johnson, creating significant cap relief while also giving them a two-way wing who better fits their needs. The second flipped Dario Sarič to Sacramento for Jonas Valančiūnas, seemingly solving the Nuggets’ backup center problem that’s persisted for a few years now. However, new reports indicate that deal may not get done as Valančiūnas may not even play in the NBA next year.
On Thursday, BasketNews broke the news that Valančiūnas was in talks with Greek club Panthinaikos on a 3-year, $36 million deal. Marc Stein confirmed Valančiūnas’ interest in going back to Europe, and noted he’ll be looking to secure a buyout in order to do so. The problem with that, of course, is he has another two years and $20 million left on his current NBA contract and the Nuggets just traded for him with the thought he would be an ideal backup for Nikola Jokić.
The Lithuanian-born Valančiūnas spent the first four seasons of his pro career in Europe.
We have seen this play out in the past where a player has wanted to return to Europe while under NBA contract and the NBA team can opt against granting that wish. Vasilije Mičić had a similar situation last year in Charlotte and was not able to leave. He was traded to Milwaukee this summer with the understanding he would give some money back in a buyout to return to Europe next season.
This all could have a huge ripple effect on the rest of free agency. The Kings were clearing cap space with reported intent to chase Jonathan Kuminga in a sign-and-trade with the Warriors. Perhaps they could still clear that room by getting Valančiūnas to give back a significant portion of his deal in a buyout, but it has the potential to create real headaches for Sacramento’s front office and the Kings’ plans.
Denver, meanwhile, will be trying to get Valančiūnas to commit to next season in the NBA as the backup to Jokić. If the Nuggets cannot and the trade (which isn’t official yet as it can’t go through until July 6) falls apart, they’ll be forced to explore other options in free agency and the trade market.
Al Horford remains the top center on the market and has long been projected to land in Golden State, but they only have the taxpayer mid-level to offer ($5.7 million) and are waiting until a resolution on Kuminga to use that because it would hard cap them and limit their ability to re-sign or sign-and-trade Kuminga. If the Nuggets can clear more money than the Warriors could offer, Horford would be another huge upgrade at backup center.
Beyond Horford, they could look at Moe Wagner (who is expected to return to the Magic alongside his brother) or pursue other trade options. The problem in trying to trade for another center is their best asset is the ability to take on more money from a team needing cap relief, which the Kings were looking for but they don’t have much else to offer a team in a trade.
The next few days will now be fascinating as we await resolution on the Valančiūnas saga, and could have a huge impact on the Nuggets, Kings, Warriors and other teams around the NBA.
