Nuggets' Jonas Valanciunas trade somehow just got even better

Thanks again to the Kings for agreeing to trade Jonas Valanciunas to the Denver Nuggets for Dario Saric. Fans were worried that he'd push to leave the NBA to play in Greece, but the Nuggets made it clear they expected him to honor his contract. After weeks of uncertainty, Valanciunas said he is committed to helping Denver win a championship.

The 33-year-old is representing Lithuania this summer at EuroBasket, making fans that much more excited about the trade. In Lithuania's 94-63 win over Montenegro on Friday, Valanciunas posted 19 points (8-of-9 from the field, 3-of-4 from three), five rebounds, one block, and one assist. He did all of that in the first half alone.

Against Great Britain on Wednesday, Valanciunas finished with 18 points (7-of-13 shooting), nine rebounds, one block, and one assist.

In case you forgot since reading the first paragraph, that's the player Denver received for Dario Saric, who played only 16 games last season. Saric picked up his $5.4 million player option for next season, and it seemed like the Nuggets were stuck with him. Sacramento swooped in to save the day, needing to clear cap space to sign Dennis Schroder to a three-year, $45 million deal.

Denver struck gold, getting one of the best backup centers in the league for the best player in the league.

Nuggets really did the impossible with Valanciunas trade

Non-Jokić minutes have been a headache for Denver. Teams typically take a hit when their best player isn't on the floor, but Denver has looked like a completely different team for the most part. It's not an exaggeration to say that it's a dream come true to have Valanciunas.

He started the 2024-25 season with the Wizards before he was traded to the Kings before the deadline. Valanciunas averaged a combined 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, shooting 55% from the field. He shot 21.6% from three, but that was on half an attempt per game.

Last season was the first time in his career that he wasn't the primary starter (his first season was 2012-13), as he started 21 of the 81 games he played. Valanciunas knows what his role will be in Denver. He'll be one of the most beloved players on the roster to Nuggets fans because they're not used to having a quality backup.

Do yourself a favor and remind yourself of what's to come by watching Valanciunas at EuroBasket 2025. You'll find yourself even more excited about the upcoming Nuggets season.