Nuggets Make Curious Move With Jonas Valanciunas’ Contract

The Denver Nuggets have made a quiet adjustment to the contract of their veteran center Jonas Valanciunas.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein on The Stein Line, Valanciunas and the Nuggets have amended the final year of his three-year contract, pushing his guarantee date back by one week.

"’I'm told Denver and Jonas Valanciunas have quietly amended the final season on the three-year contract that the veteran big man first signed with Washington in the summer of 2024. League sources say that the Nuggets and Valančiūnas have mutually agreed to move the guarantee date on his 2026-27 salary from June 29 to July 8," Stein wrote,

"The switch will give Denver some greater optionality to potentially use Valančiūnas' salary in an offseason trade as opposed to deciding on next season before free agency begins at 6 PM ET on June 30. The 33-year-old will likewise be eligible for an extension with the Nuggets after this season plays out if he decides he's willing to stick around the NBA a little longer. Yet the later guarantee date means Valančiūnas can’t become a free agent until after the league's annual moratorium during the first week of free agency is lifted."

It's a minor and subtle change for the Nuggets— but one that offers just a tad bit more flexibility for the front office on how they could approach Valanciunas' deal come next summer.

Nuggets, Valanciunas Push Back Contract Guarantee Date

Oct 29, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas (17) reacts in the second quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Ultimately, the move doesn't amount to much at this point, but fast forward to next summer, and the Nuggets will have some options.

Valanciunas is currently on the second year of three for the $30.2 million deal he signed initially with the Washington Wizards. On paper, solid value for what the veteran big man brings to the table.

But on the third year of his deal for the 2026-27 season, his $10 million annual salary comes in as non-guaranteed. The Nuggets previously had to decide on whether they'd want to retain his services or cut ties with him before the free agency moratorium kicked off. Now, they'll have an extra week to see how free agency plays out for that decision-making to come to fruition.

So, as the summer landscape begins to unravel, the Nuggets can hold onto that $10 million salary of Valanciunas for next season. Or, if there's value on the open market that shows itself through the league's free agency moratorium, they could release him to free up that cap. A trade, of course, could be in the cards too.

Throughout the beginning motions of this season, Valanciunas has appeared in seven games for the Nuggets to log 8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists as a solid depth piece in the frontcourt behind Nikola Jokic, averaging just under 12 minutes a night.

If that production can hold up over the course of an 82-game campaign, he could have a good chance of sticking around. In the event the Nuggets want to go in a different direction, though, some added flexibility is now at their disposal.

Nuggets, Valanciunas Push Back Contract Guarantee Date

More Denver Nuggets Content