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Denver Nuggets
Aug 20, 2025 2:18 PM EDT
After being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season, the Denver Nuggets elected to make some major changes to their roster this offseason around their core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.
Denver began their summer by trading Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson as they added a sharpshooting forward while also freeing up cap space.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27). — Source: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
With the extra cap space, they signed Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown in free agency to upgrade their bench.
The Nuggets also acquired Jonas Valanciunas from the Sacramento Kings for Dario Saric to add a much-needed backup center behind Jokic.
Kings predicted to regret trading Jonas Valanciunas to Nuggets
Saric had fell out of Denver’s rotation and swapping him for one of the best backup big men in the league in Valanciunas was a no-brainer for the Nuggets and one that Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale believes the Kings will regret making as he predicted that it will be among the worst moves of the NBA offseason.
jonas valanciunas
Mar 3, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; the ball past Dallas Mavericks forward Kai Jones (23) — Source: © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
“More than that, fitting his (Dennis Schroder’s) deal into the Kings’ payroll structure required trading Jonas Valanciunas, one of the best backup centers in the league, for Dario Šarić, who’s years removed from being an every-night rotation player. Dumping Valanciunas is perhaps the worst of the Kings’ moves in a vacuum. But it only happened because they decided to pay Schroder,” Favale wrote.
Favale made a great point about how the Kings had to move on from Valanciunas to sign Schroder in free agency who is now their new starting point guard.
Despite this, there were reports that Valanciunas was looking to sign with a team in Greece this offseason which would void his contract with the Kings, allowing them to free up enough space to sign Schroder.
Feb 6, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas (17) shoots a jump shot during the second half against Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images — Source: Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Instead, they traded the veteran center to Denver for Saric who will likely be out of Sacramento’s rotation next season if he even makes their opening night roster.
While this trade does not look like a good move for the Kings, it looks like a great one for the Nuggets as they finally add a much-needed backup center behind Jokic to bolster their second unit as they try to make a run at a championship next season.
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Nathaniel Holloway