Denver Nuggets fans were already on cloud nine after the front office turned Michael Porter Jr.'s contract into Cam Johnson, but little did they know what was coming. The notification from ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania had to be too good to be true. He reported that the Nuggets and Kings agreed to a Dario Saric-Jonas Valanciunas trade.
Denver got a really good Nikola Jokic backup at the cost of Saric, who played only 16 games last season? Who picked up his $5.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season? Who the Nuggets were stuck with until further notice?
It turned out that it was almost too good to be true, as Valanciunas considered leaving the NBA to play for Greek club Panathinaikos. Denver expected the center to honor the two years remaining on his NBA contract. After a few weeks of speculation, it became official that Valanciunas would play for the Nuggets.
Sacramento made the trade to clear financial space and needed it to go through to sign Dennis Schroder to a three-year, $45 million deal. It's not as if the Kings got a second chance to reconsider the trade while the Valanciunas-Panathinaikos saga was ongoing. Sacramento wanted the trade to work out.
Dario Saric-Jonas Valanciunas trade is still hard to believe
Valanciunas said that he was "excited" about playing closer to home if he signed with Panathinaikos, but that he would give Denver his "all" to "compete for a championship." He's on board with playing for the Nuggets.
The 33-year-old has been in the NBA since 2012 when the Raptors drafted him with the No. 12 overall pick. Toronto traded Valanciunas to Memphis before the 2019 deadline, months before the team went on to win a championship. He's still looking for his first NBA title, and it could happen in Denver.
The Nuggets upgraded the roster this offseason, with the Valanciunas trade sitting at the top of the list. Denver didn't set out to get a more-than-suitable backup this summer for Jokic, but snagged one anyway. It will be huge to have Valanciunas on the floor when Jokic is out. His presence will take pressure off the team and their superstar.
Valanciunas didn't get off to a good start in Denver as questions about his future swirled around, but he's on board now. Don't hold that against him.
The Nuggets won this trade by a mile, while the Kings' decision-making continues to not make sense.