The Denver Nuggets officially acquired veteran center Jonas Valančiūnas from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Dario Saric. Although the 33-year-old Valančiūnas still has two years remaining on his contract, he reportedly drew interest from Greek powerhouse club Panathinaikos, which was exploring a potential deal to bring him to Europe. The Lithuanian big man was said to be considering a return closer to home, but such a move would have required a buyout.
Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer addressed that speculation during an appearance on Denver’s Altitude Sports Radio. When asked if Valančiūnas would suit up for the Nuggets this season, Tenzer was direct:
“Yes, absolutely,” Tenzer said.
The Nuggets reportedly informed Valančiūnas’ representatives that they will not let him out of his NBA contract. Denver acquired his contract in the trade and have two years of team control at a $20 million price tag — $10.3 million this coming season and $10 million the year after that. Panathinaikos was reportedly prepared to pay Valančiūnas a more lucrative deal at three years and $36 million.
“I don’t want to speak on all the specifics out there, but from our perspective, we had no issues from our end,” Tenzer said. “He’s under contract in the NBA. We had indications that he was going to honor that contract. We were never worried about anything going on out there to be honest.”
Valančiūnas appeared in 81 games last season between the Washington Wizards and Kings, making 21 starts and averaging 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. In Denver, he’s expected to anchor the second unit behind three-time MVP Nikola Jokić. While reports suggested Valančiūnas was intrigued by the possibility of a more prominent role overseas on a lucrative deal, that scenario appears off the table with the trade now finalized.
Valančiūnas is set to enter his 14th NBA season after beginning his professional career with Lietuvos Rytas in the EuroLeague back in 2010–11. Over 937 career games, he has posted averages of 13.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest. In Denver, he’ll provide valuable frontcourt depth as the Nuggets aim for their second NBA championship in four seasons.
