The Denver Nuggets turned a non-rotation player into a backup center when they traded Dario Šarić to the Kings for Jonas Valančiūnas. Sacramento wanted to rid itself of Valančiūnas' salary to make room for none other than Dennis Schroder, so off Šarić went.
There was a question of whether Valančiūnas would actually play in Denver, but as the Nuggets expected, he is honoring his contract. Valančiūnas' commitment to help Denver in its quest to win another championship silenced the speculation that he'd force his way out of the NBA to play in Greece.
So, just like that, the Nuggets have one of the best backup bigs in the league, and all it took was Šarić, who signed a two-year deal with Denver last summer. Unsurprisingly, Šarić picked up his $5.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season after playing only 16 games last season.
Valančiūnas will make $10.4 million next season, nearly double what Šarić will make, but that's a trade the Nuggets would do a million times over. Šarić was unplayable, while Valančiūnas is actually a center who played a combined 81 games last season between Washington and Sacramento.
As if there isn't enough excitement from Denver fans about the trade, Valančiūnas has been dominating at EuroBasket, most recently posting 18 points (7-of-11), nine rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks in Lithuania's 74-71 win over Sweden.
Hype around Jonas Valančiūnas trade grows as season nears
Imagine what it'll be like when the season starts. Denver fans won't have to hold their breath when Nikola Jokić rests, knowing that Valančiūnas will take his place. A 15-point lead (shouldn't) turn into a two-point deficit in a matter of minutes. Valančiūnas can hold things down.
The Nuggets have had a busy offseason, beginning with the trade of Michael Porter Jr. to the Nets for Cam Johnson. As surprising as that was, the real shock came a day later when ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported the Valančiūnas-Šarić swap. Fans couldn't believe that all it took was sending Šarić in the deal, but again, the Kings needed to clear cap space.
Sacramento helped one of its conference rivals in the process, giving Denver another depth piece that can help the Nuggets win their second title in three years.
The wait to see Valančiūnas make his Denver debut won't go on for too much longer, as September is the last month without Nuggets basketball. We've almost made it.