After a strong start to the offseason, the Denver Nuggets find themselves in an unusual situation. They wisely traded Dario Saric, who is basically dead salary, for Jonas Valanciunas, giving them a much-needed backup to Nikola Jokic.
However, Valanciunas reportedly is considering a deal to play internationally. He may even be willing to forfeit his $10.3 million salary for 2025-26 to make that happen.
That presents the Nuggets with a huge dilemma. If he leaves, then they will open up their full mid-level exception (MLE) worth $14 million. That would normally be great news, but top free agent big men such as Luke Kornet, Brook Lopez, and Clint Capela are already off the market.
The Nuggets have limited options to replace Jonas Valanciunas
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Nuggets are hoping to keep him, but his mind may already be made up. While it doesn't appear to be a done deal, it seems like Denver may be facing an uphill battle to keep.
The Nuggets are going ahead with their trade for Jonas Valančiūnas on Sunday and remain determined to keep the veteran big man they hope to install as their backup to Nikola Jokić … despite Valančiūnas’ offer from Greek giants Panathinaikos, league sources tell @TheSteinLine. https://t.co/JV0ClVGcq7 pic.twitter.com/lSro8E0G6R
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 5, 2025
Denver having to convince Valanciunas to stay after trading for him is ironic, considering that he isn't exactly a high-profile player. He won't be starting for Denver and likely won't have a major role.
Be that as it may, the Nuggets have historically struggled with Jokic off the floor, and having a veteran big man who can reliably rebound, score in the paint, and hit open threes is useful. It could be especially impactful in the playoffs when Jokic is tasked with playing big minutes and they need to get him a five-minute breather.
Considering how the Nuggets nearly beat the champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs before running out of gas, depth can't be understated.
The Nuggets must convince Valanciunas to stay to maintain depth
Adding Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Valanciunas to their bench that includes Peyton Walsh and Julian Strawther would give them a strong 10-man rotation. That's after they really could only trust seven players last season.
That depends on Valanciunas; if they can get him to stay, then they will be better for it. If they can't, they will have to get creative. They can technically trade for a player, taking their salary into their MLE, with Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams coming to mind.
That would be risky given that he has barely played over the last few seasons, but he would likely be cheap and has a high upside if he's healthy.
Ultimately, the Nuggets' strong offseason has taken an unusual turn. If they can convince Valanciunas to stay, then that obviously would be the best-case scenario for them. However, if they can't, they have limited options to replace him this late in the off-season.