The Denver Nuggets offseason just keeps getting better.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Nuggets and Sacramento Kings agreed to a 1-for-1 swap of backup bigs Dario Saric and Jonas Valanciunas.
The Sacramento Kings are trading Jonas Valanciunas to the Denver Nuggets for Dario Saric, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/D2Xmbm4DN1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2025
According to multiple league reports, there are no draft picks going either way. The Nuggets are simply absorbing Valanciunas’ larger salary with the space generated from the Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson swap yesterday.
Valanciunas, 33, played 81 games and over 1,500 minutes last season for the Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings, averaging 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He was traded to Sacramento midseason, though the Nuggets were reportedly interested in his services then. Denver finally gets their target and adds Valanciunas to play the backup center position behind Nikola Jokic.
This is a great deal for the Nuggets, who move Saric in the process. Last season’s free agency addition played just over 200 total minutes for the Nuggets and was excised from the rotation early in the year. He played just six total regular season AND playoff games after November 23rd, 2024.
After Saric picked up his player option for the 2024-25 season, it became clear that the Nuggets needed to make a move at backup center. They add Valanciunas, who the Kings were looking to get rid of for some reason, likely cap savings.
This deal is a direct byproduct of the Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson swap. Denver adds a backup center at a salary figure they wouldn’t have had any business getting before yesterday. Valanciunas will give the Nuggets bench some stability, allowing both DaRon Holmes II and Zeke Nnaji the opportunity to play power forward exclusively. This removes the pressure on Jokic to play extended minutes every game as well.
So far, the Nuggets have turned Michael Porter Jr., Russell Westbrook, and Dario Saric into Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valanciunas. That’s a pretty incredible turnaround. It cost Denver a first round pick, but that appears to be an asset well spent to generate some optionality for the Nuggets roster.
Again, credit to Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace for some impressive work. There are still two roster spots to fill, so we will see if the Nuggets front office can stick the landing on what has turned into a game-changing offseason in Denver.
Breaking: Denver Nuggets trade Dario Saric for backup center Jonas Valanciunas Mile High Sports.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Breaking: Denver Nuggets trade Dario Saric for backup center Jonas Valanciunas )
Also on site :