Why Jonas Valanciunas' Time With Nuggets Is Likely Over

The Denver Nuggets have a busy 2026 offseason ahead of them, with one of their priorities being to save money. The Nuggets are currently projected to be well over the second apron, and they will have all hands on deck looking to avoid paying an unnecessary tax.

In doing so, veteran center Jonas Valanciunas is the most likely candidate to get left off next season's roster. Valanciunas has likely already played his last game with the Nuggets, and all because of a contract detail.

The 2026-27 season is the final year of Valanciunas' contract, worth $10 million. However, only $2 million of his final year is guaranteed. By waiving Valanciunas before July 8, the Nuggets will save $8 million.

Apr 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman talks with center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during a substitution during the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Initially, the final year of Valanciunas' contract was completely non-guaranteed, but the two sides agreed to restructure his deal, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.

"Back in November, the Nuggets and backup center Jonas Valanciunas quietly agreed to restructure the third and final year of his contract, league sources told The Post," Durando wrote. "His full $10 million salary was previously non-guaranteed. Under the amended deal, Valanciunas is owed at least $2 million of his salary next season, in exchange for his 2026 guarantee date being pushed back from June 29 to July 8."

This change gives the Nuggets the chance to get through free agency before making a decision about Valanciunas' future, although it is still very likely we have seen the last of him in Denver.

The failed experiment

In case anyone forgot, Valanciunas was contemplating ditching the NBA entirely for a move to the EuroLeague after being traded to the Nuggets last offseason.

Jonas Valančiūnas is nearing a move to Panathinaikos, signaling a potential departure from the NBA, per @BasketNews_com pic.twitter.com/4liSLw57y1
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 3, 2025

It was seen as a huge win when the Nuggets were able to swap Dario Saric for Valanciunas, but his Denver tenure got off to a rough start when it became clear he was iffy about the move. Obviously, he stuck around in Denver, but his 2025-26 season still did not go as planned.

Sure, Valanciunas was a serviceable backup for Nikola Jokic, averaging 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game. However, he ultimately fell out of their rotation. Valanciunas was a DNP-CD for two of Denver's six playoff games, and averaged just 6.3 minutes in his four postseason appearances.

When it mattered most, Valanciunas was a non-factor for the Nuggets, making it clear that this experiment was a failure.

What's next?

Now that Valanciunas is expected to be out of an NBA job, it could be his time to get back into negotiations with a EuroLeague team. Not only have we likely seen the last of Valanciunas in a Nuggets uniform, but his NBA career might have come to a close.

The Lithuanian big man has an obvious interest in playing in Europe, and with his future in Denver in serious doubt, we could see him finally make that move.

As for the Nuggets, waiving him would give them immediate cap relief by saving $8 million, as every dollar matters for this franchise in financial trouble.

Sign up for our free Denver Nuggets On SI newsletter, and get breaking Nuggets news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google