The Denver Nuggets are going to be dumping salary if the news of them attaching Zeke Nnaji to their first-round pick to entice someone to eat Nnaji's contract are accurate. And it makes sense for the Nuggets to shed as much as they can if dodging the second apron threshold, or lower, is one of their goals. So waiving Jonas Valanciunas seems to be the smartest move for the Nuggets, and it would benefit Big Val quite a bit as well.
It's not very often that someone gets cut, and it's a boon for them. And even though he'd make less money, Valanciunas has the chance to play in his native Lithuania again after a 14-year NBA career led him to Denver. Basketnews has reported that Valanciunas already has an agreement with Zalgiris Kaunas of the EuroLeague if the Nuggets follow through with the salary dump.
The Nuggets save money, and Big Val likely gets a starring role
The Nuggets would save $8 million against the salary cap for the 2026-27 season by waiving Big Val. He's guaranteed $2 million, but the Nuggets can probably find someone else to replace Valanciunas as the backup for Nikola Jokic for much less than $8 million, like the Sacramento Kings' Precious Achiuwa, so it makes sense for the Nuggets to cut Big Val to save every last million, as it sounds like they're going to be doing.
But it can't be overlooked that Valanciunas will likely still make millions, and he'll probably be the starting center for his new squad instead of the backup at best, and passed over for the small-ball rotation at worst, with the Nuggets. Valanciunas was a skilled, double-double threat on a nightly basis for 12 years as a starter, but he came off the bench over the last two seasons during stints with the Washington Wizards and Kings before coming over to the Nuggets from the Kings.
At 34-years-old, it's a great way for Valanciunas to get some more life out of his basketball career, at a competitive level, before he sets off into retirement. It's a win-win move for both the Nuggets and Big Val.
Big Val probably isn't the last cap-casualty
Valanciunas probably isn't going to be the last cap casualty for the Nuggets. They're expected to trade either Cameron Johnson or Christian Braun to save on cap space to bring back Peyton Watson in free agency. Both Johnson and Braun would likely be dealt for little in return, perhaps not even another player, like the Timberwolves did with Julius Randle, to maximize the amount of money the Nuggets save.
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