Nuggets Officially Part Ways With Jonas Valanciunas: What It Means

The Denver Nuggets have officially cut ties with their veteran big man Jonas Valanciunas.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Nuggets are releasing Valanciunas to free agency after spending one season in Denver.

Charania also notes that Valanciunas is expected to have interest from "multiple" NBA teams following his departure from Denver.

The Denver Nuggets are waiving veteran center Jonas Valanciunas, sources tell ESPN. Valanciunas is expected to receive interest from multiple NBA teams.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2026

Valanciunas initially arrived in Denver last offseason in a trade with the Sacramento Kings that sent over Dario Saric, while the veteran big man came to back up Nikola Jokic for one season–– and remained pretty solid in his role when he was on the floor.

He played in a total of 65 games throughout the season in a little over 13 minutes a night, averaging 8.7 points on 58.2% shooting from the field, paired with 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

In terms of raw stats, his numbers were some of the lowest throughout his 14-year career, but that's to be expected when backing up an MVP-level talent like Jokic. However, his per 36 averages (23.4 points and 13.6 rebounds) made up for some of the best he had seen in the past several seasons.

So teams around the league are clearly interested in what Valanciunas could bring to their respective rosters. While the Nuggets had been searching around the trade market to see whether they could cash in on any remaining value for the 34-year-old, they instead decided to release him to free agency to find his next home.

What Releasing Jonas Valanciunas Means for Denver

This was a long-expected approach for the Nuggets to take surrounding Valanciunas' future with the roster.

While Valanciunas was a solid backup big in his role last year, the Nuggets could save a ton of money by deciding to release him. He was slated to have a salary of $10 million for the 2026-27 season, but only $2 million of that was fully guaranteed.

Apr 8, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas (17) after a play in the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That means by waiving Valanciunas, the Nuggets are now set to save $8 million against the cap, which is valuable added cap flexibility to have for a team like Denver who's right on the edge of being over the second apron, and already expected to pay into the luxury tax without any other cost-cutting moves to the roster.

The Nuggets still have new contracts to iron out for guys like Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones, who they have Bird Rights on in order to go over the cap to sign them, but will pay a hefty cost in terms of luxury tax spending if they want to keep both with their current key pieces of the roster remaining in place.

It remains to be seen what each of Watson or Jones' final values will be on their next contracts, or if the Nuggets decide to make any more moves to alleviate their expected financial burden.

Releasing Valanciunas, though, was the easiest way for Denver to do shed some money from their cap sheet without making a drastic change to their current rotation.

Who Will Step Up in Place of Jonas Valanciunas?

The good news for the Nuggets is that they have several pieces who could run the five that will be able to claim the rotational minutes that Valanciunas now leaves up for grabs.

One name that sticks out as an immediate candidate to be the Nuggets' new backup center is their free agent signing from last week, Marvin Bagley, who joined on a one-year minimum deal for the 2026-27 season, coming off of a solid season with the Dallas Mavericks (and Washington Wizards), and can slot into their second unit to offer size and offensive versatility in the frontcourt.

Apr 8, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Marvin Bagley III (35) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's also the obvious presence of Zeke Nnaji that still remains on the roster, but there's a chance that the Nuggets could also move off of him and his $7 million salary in the coming weeks to create even more financial maneuverability.

You could also keep an eye on both of DaRon Holmes and Trevon Brazile to be younger and smaller options that the Nuggets can lean on as well.

So while waiving Valanciunas does tend to remove one reliable veteran from their rotation next season, rest assured that their second unit will be able to supplement his production just fine.

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