What Nuggets' Latest Contract Update for Jonas Valanciunas Means

Earlier this offseason, the Denver Nuggets made the long-expected move to waive their veteran big man, Jonas Valanciunas, after one year with the team.

Valanciunas, who wrapped up his 14th season in the NBA, was signed onto a $10 million contract for the 2026-27 season, had the Nuggets not made the decision to cut ties with him. Instead, Denver waived him back in July, and have since turned elsewhere for their backup center duties.

But as of the end of August, we now have some more information as it relates to the Nuggets' decision to waive Valanciunas, and how their cap hits will be distributed moving forward.

The Latest Update on Jonas Valanciunas' Waived Contract

According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Nuggets are stretching Valanciunas' remaining $2 million salary for the 2026-27 season.

That means, rather than paying out $2 million on the books for this coming season, the Nuggets will be paying out a little less than $700K for the next three.

The Denver Nuggets are stretching Jonas Valanciunas’ remaining $2 million salary owed for the 2026-27 season, league sources told @hoopshype. As a result, Valanciunas will be on Denver’s books for $667K each of the following three seasons. https://t.co/2iecHUiwKy
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) August 27, 2026

It's a decision from the Nuggets that, while minor, does impact their cap outlook for this season,and now, the next three. Valanciunas' dead money hit is on the books, which comes at a reduced $2 million value from his initial $10 million salary.

And that lesser cap hit following his release––which would typically be fully guaranteed––because of the non-guaranteed nature of Valanciunas' contract.

Why the Nuggets Waived and Stretched Jonas Valanciunas

When the Nuggets decided to cut Valanciunas earlier this offseason, it was done knowing that rather than paying his full $10 million next season to be a backup big man, they could simply cut him and his non-guaranteed contract to incur a smaller cap hit and give their already-cap-constrained roster some relief.

Valanciunas, when he played throughout the course of the 2025-26 season, was a decent asset to have in their frontcourt behind Nikola Jokic when he was healthy.

He played in 65 games to average 8.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 58.2% from the field, all in just over 13 minutes a night.

Jan 30, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas (17) reacts from the bench in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But with the Nuggets and their financial situation––now that they're the only team in the NBA over the second apron––they didn't want to foot the bill for his services when factoring in that he's only playing 13 minutes a game. And now by cutting him, they're able to pay even less this season to not have him on the roster.

While Valanciunas's contract will now be a longer burden to be had on the roster until the 2028-29 season, it was a necessary move so the Nuggets are not only less pressed against the second apron, but also incur a smaller cap hit now that their total salary is over $1 million less expensive for the 2026-27 year.

All things considered, a small financial decision on the Nuggets' behalf, but one that will help Denver get one step closer to finalizing their 15-man roster for 2026-27 and surmounting the cap hurdles along with it.

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