The Denver Nuggets have been one of the top teams in the league in recent years, and they might have taken another step forward this offseason.
Throughout the past couple of years, the Nuggets have struggled to find the same magic that led them to the 2023 championship. While Nikola Jokic has continued to dominate as arguably the best player in basketball, the team around him hasn’t always been enough to get Denver where it wants to be.
After some significant shakeups in the front office toward the end of last season, this summer ushered in the start of a new era for the Nuggets. With new faces calling the shots, Denver made some big moves, and one of those moves could pay off in a big way.
Denver’s deal for Jonas Valanciunas was a steal
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While the Nuggets’ draft night deal for Cam Johnson stole the headlines for their summer, sending out Dario Saric to Sacramento for Jonas Valanciunas might have been their best deal. In a recent [Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25234185-predicting-which-2025-nba-offseason-moves-will-look-worst-season) article, Dan Favale predicted that the Kings’ decision to move Valanciunas could be one of the worst of the offseason.
Citing that Valanciunas’ departure was essentially a salary dump that forced Sacramento into adding Saric, Favale also noted that the Lithuanian big man’s interest in heading overseas could have kept the Kings from this issue in the first place. Instead, Valanciunas’ interest didn’t emerge until after the trade was agreed upon, and the Nuggets were insistent on keeping the big man in Denver.
Considering that Valanciunas should be the best backup big of the Jokic era, the Kings could be watching their former big man making big plays in the postseason in 2026.