Jonas Valanciunas officially cleared the air on Monday morning and revealed in an interview with BasketNews that he’s locked in with the Nuggets, ready to honor his contract, and help compete for a championship.
Jonas Valanciunas spoke with me to clear the air on the Nuggets and Panathinaikos situation:
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) July 21, 2025
"I want to clear the air about my playing situation next season now that Denver has made their decision to keep me. The idea of playing for Panathinaikos, closer to home, was very…
With JV finally on board, the Nuggets can move on from this saga and focus on the excellent backup center who’s headed to Denver. Jonas will immediately be the best backup that Nikola Jokic has ever had, and will hopefully help solve the non-Jokic minutes that have plagued the Nuggets for ages.
Sure, he’s no longer the guy who was putting up 17 and 12 in his prime, but Valanciunas can absolutely still play, and in a smaller role, he should be able to accentuate his strengths. The 33-year-old Lithuanian giant stands at 6’11” and 265 pounds; he will bruise and batter people down low, dominating the glass in the process.
He has put up 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game over the course of his 13-year career, including five straight seasons averaging a double-double between the Grizzlies and Pelicans. He wallowed on bad teams the past few seasons and saw his role reduced, but he still played in 81 games last season and all 82 the year before.
Nuggets desperate for stability at backup center
The Nuggets don’t need prime Jonas Valanciunas this season. They don’t even need anything close to that. What they do need is a serviceable pro who can spell Jokic for stretches and give him nights off without the team completely cratering.
They haven’t had that in recent years, and Valanciunas should be able to change that. He’s no Jokic, but he’s a solid passer, and David Adelman has already spoken about the idea of JV playing like a “point center” in some ways. Even if that’s a stretch, he’ll be able to score inside, control the glass, and offer a bit of beef around the rim on defense.
Jonas also has the best chance of his career to win a championship in Denver. He has already made it clear that he’d like to move to Europe to be closer to his family, so with a team option looming next summer, this may well be his last chance at a title in the NBA.
It’s truly an ideal situation for all parties involved. The Nuggets get their dream backup center to keep Jokic fresh, and Valanciunas gets to leave it all on the court in a limited role and try to win a ring on his farewell tour. Let’s hope for a storybook ending!