The Nuggets have put their foot down and appear ready to stand their ground, refusing to buy Jonas Valanciunas out of his contract and let him return to Europe. The Lithuanian big man would like to leave the NBA and play for the Greek club, Panathanaikos, where he may have already informally agreed to a three-year deal.
The problem is that Valanciunas is still under contract in the NBA. The Kings agreed to trade Valanciunas to Denver, and that trade is slated to become official on Sunday, sending JV and his $10.4 million contract to the Nuggets.
Reportedly, Valanciunas is willing to give back every single dollar of his deal so he can head to Greece, but the Nuggets aren’t ready to accommodate him. The trade is still slated to go through, and the Nuggets are determined to hold Valanciunas to his contract and force him to play in Denver next season.
The Nuggets have a big hole at backup center, and Valanciunas was supposed to plug that gap. He’d be the best backup that Nikola Jokic has had in ages, and would round out the rotation, arguably the cherry on top of a perfect offseason and a loaded roster that’s right in the hunt for the 2026 title.
Holding Valanciunas hostage could tank locker room
The reasons for forcing JV to stay and play in Denver are obvious from a basketball perspective, but this is a dangerous game that the Nuggets are playing. The team is all-in on winning a championship next season. Bringing in a player who doesn’t want to be there at all wouldn’t be good for the vibes or the locker room.
Not only could it damage the chemistry inside the building and lead to some seriously uncomfortable situations, but it could also damage relationships around the league and ruin trust between the organization and other players and agents in the NBA.
Ideally, Valanciunas will come around to the idea and realize that backing up Jokic for one season while earning $10.4 million is actually a pretty good gig. But if his mind is already made up and there’s no convincing him, the Nuggets would be wise to honor his request and avoid burning any bridges.
It would be extremely frustrating, but the last thing this team needs is a malcontent in the locker room. Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace are still very new to running a team. They’ve had an amazing start to their joint tenure, but do they really want their first offseason in charge to be defined by forcing an ugly standoff with a well-respected veteran player?
There’s much to consider here on both sides, and there’s still hope that things work out. But ultimately, Denver would be wise to grant Valanciunas’ wishes, end this relationship on good terms, and hit the free agency market with the full midlevel exception and a chance to salvage the backup center position.