Nuggets expect Jonas Valanciunas to be backup center amid speculation over NBA future
DENVER (AP) — A backup plan to bring in a backup center to spell Nikola Jokic no longer appears necessary.
The Denver Nuggets expect Jonas Valanciunas to be with the team when the season starts amid speculation over his NBA future.
Denver's trade with Sacramento to acquire the 6-foot-11 Valanciunas for Dario Saric became official last weekend. Leading up that, reports emerged of Valanciunas being courted by the Greek EuroLeague club team, Panathinaikos. It's led to a confusing situation given that Valanciunas still has two years remaining on his NBA deal that would pay him a total of more than $20 million.
Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer attempted to tamp down any conjecture over Valanciunas' arrival during a news conference Friday that was set up to introduce Cam Johnson.
'There's been nothing but healthy conversations in terms of him honoring his contract and him excited to be a Nugget,' Tenzer said of Valanciunas.
So, no concerns that Valanciunas might not be with the Nuggets to start the season?
'No concerns,' Tenzer said.
The trade for the 33-year-old Valanciunas looks to be the icing on a productive offseason that saw the front-office tandem of Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace remodel the team. The moves were in the wake of a Game 7 loss to NBA champion Oklahoma City in the second round.
The Nuggets also picked up Johnson in a deal that sent Michael Porter Jr. — a key contributor to their title run in 2023 — to Brooklyn. Denver added Bruce Brown, who was part of their championship run, and shooting guard/small forward Tim Hardaway Jr.
Tenzer said they've have had productive talks with Valanciunas, who's slated to play for Lithuania at FIBA EuroBasket this summer. Someone from the Nuggets may even venture over there.
'Their plan is for him to get here sooner than later, but still working through that,' Wallace explained. "We'll approach it at that time.'
Valanciunas is coming off a season in which he split time between Washington and Sacramento. He averaged 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and two assists over 81 games.
Denver is counting on him to give Jokic the occasional breather. The 30-year-old Jokic averaged a career-high 36.7 minutes per game last season.
A three-time NBA MVP, Jokic turned in a historic season where became the first NBA center to average a triple-double — 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists. His vision and feel for the game could take Johnson's performance to another level. Johnson averaged 18.8 points for the Nets last season.
'His best ability is just understanding where he is in space and where his teammates are in space at all times,' Johnson said of Jokic. 'I find a spot, and there's a high chance that he's going to put the pass on time, on target.'
As for where Johnson might live in the Mile High city, he and Porter have chatted about possibly swapping houses.
'I don't know if it will happen, but it's being discussed right now,' Johnson said. 'Obviously, when you get traded, everything's flying around, everything's moving. As the next couple of weeks wind down, we'll start to become a little bit more established in our new markets and figure all that stuff out.'
He's already received a warm welcome — and not even in Denver, either. While the former Phoenix Suns forward was having breakfast in Arizona, a table of Nuggets fans recognized him and wished him luck.
'The reception has been incredible,' Johnson said. 'It has been really positive for me. Just a chance at winning is something that I really relish and something that I'll do everything in my power to contribute to.'
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
recommended
Item 1 of 3
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Celtics champion signs new deal with Eastern Conference team
The Boston Celtics are losing another member of their 2023-24 championship roster after declining to extend him a qualifying offer this offseason. Forward Drew Peterson, who spent the past two seasons with Boston on a two-way contract, will join the Charlotte Hornets on a two-way pact in the 2025-26 campaign, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. He'll reunite with former Celtics assistant and current Hornets head coach Charles Lee in Charlotte. Peterson spent most of his first year with the Celtics' G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, appearing in just three games for the parent club. However, the 25-year-old saw increased NBA action last season, averaging 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds while shooting 39.4 percent from three-point range in 7.4 minutes per game across 25 appearances. MORE: Bucks reportedly interested in former rival big man Al Horford The USC product was a featured player for Maine in 2024-25, averaging 17.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 3.2 three-pointers and 1.4 steals in 32.5 minutes per game over 26 G League appearances. A talented three-point shooter dating back to his collegiate days, Peterson will look to impress his new organization and potentially earn a standard contract. The Hornets were riddled with injuries last season, finishing with a 19-63 record in Lee's first year as the head coach. Still, Peterson will likely spend significant time in the G League, as the club will likely prioritize minutes for its young forwards, including Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, and Tidjane Salaun. Charlotte also has established options and depth in the frontcourt, though it wouldn't be surprising to see Peterson get a look if injuries arise. MORE NBA NEWS: Knicks receive positive update on former first-round pick's Summer League injury Former Bucks superstar Damian Lillard linked to rising Eastern Conference team Western Conference contender named top landing spot for former Bucks star Damian Lillard Cooper Flagg cracks joke after dominant Summer League performance Celtics' Brad Stevens reacts to first-round pick's Summer League debut
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lakers cut ties with 26-year-old fan favorite guard following Marcus Smart news
The Los Angeles Lakers were all about business on Sunday. Entering the day, the Lakers were aware they needed to adjust their roster to clear space for Marcus Smart, who plans to sign a two-year, $11 million contract with the organization this summer. Hours after moving on from Shake Milton, Los Angeles cut ties with a 26-year-old fan favorite guard. 'The Los Angeles Lakers have waived guard Jordan Goodwin,' ESPN's Shams Charania reported. 'Goodwin emerged as a key rotation piece for JJ Redick late last season, playing 29 games and four playoff contests. Goodwin and Shake Milton were released to clear space for arrival of Marcus Smart.' Goodwin inked a two-way contract with the Lakers midway through the 2024-25 campaign. While the Saint Louis product wasn't a high-level scorer by any stretch of the imagination, his ability to hold his own as a perimeter defender and drill long-range jumpers at a high clip made it easy for Lakers fans to get behind him. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Goodwin averaged 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and one steal per game in 29 outings with the Lakers, shooting 43.8% from the field and 38.2% from deep. Many speculated that Los Angeles would retain Goodwin and cook up a summer consolidation trade centered around Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber. However, it's evident that the franchise believed waiving the 6-foot-4 contributor was the correct move following their decision to part with Milton earlier in the day. More NBA:
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Shaquille O'Neal's wholesome reaction after defeating Michael Jordan in the 1995 playoffs: "He's the real Superman"
Shaquille O'Neal's wholesome reaction after defeating Michael Jordan in the 1995 playoffs: "He's the real Superman" originally appeared on Basketball Network. Shaquille O'Neal was a star on the rise in 1995, dominating the opposition with the Orlando Magic. He had the privilege of going against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs of the same year. MJ came back from his first retirement in March and everyone wondered if he could win another title even after he missed more than half of a season. The Bulls and the Magic met in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals. Jordan proved he could still score in bunches but was terribly out of basketball shape. Shaq didn't agree, though, as he gave Jordan his flowers. "I don't think Michael ever gets tired. He is a real Superman and I am a real Superboy," Shaq said after leading the Magic to a 110-101 Game 3 win over the Bulls via NYT. It was a humbling comment for Shaq, who witnessed Jordan go off for 40 points in that game. But with only Scottie Pippen providing Michael support, the Bulls failed to get over the resurgent Magic. Jersey reversion hardly helped Jordan and the Bulls Game 3 was the second game since Jordan reverted to his old jersey, no. 23. Michael initially wore no. 45, explaining that he felt it was a new beginning. It was the same jersey number he wore in high school. Despite the jersey number change, the only good it did back then was seeing Jordan going back to his heavy-scoring ways. After scoring 19 points in Game 1, the last time he wore the no. 45, Michael went berserk in the games that followed. He scored, 38, 40, 26, 39 and 24 points in the succeeding games respectively. Despite his efforts, Jordan's heavy scoring was not enough to overcome a gritty Magic team. Orlando knew it was impossible to prevent Michael from scoring. Hence, they did the next best thing, focusing their defense on the rest of the Bulls. "We knew if we shut everyone else down, we had a chance," O'Neal Bulls was a must for Magic Throughout that series, the Bulls got all the media attention because of Jordan. It overshadowed the stellar season that O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway had. But for the Magic, they didn't care as it was all about proving they were the best at the time. The key was to defeat the Bulls, something they accomplished in six games. Although Shaq was dominant, he gave props to Hardaway in that series. O'Neal pointed out how Hardaway held his own against Jordan, crediting his fearless mentality. "Penny is the only guy I've seen who didn't really care that he was playing against Michael Jordan. He had that same fearless mentality that I had," O'Neal stated. This didn't mean Hardaway disrespected Jordan. He held the same level of respect that Shaq had for him but knew that getting over MJ and Chicago was a must if they wanted a chance at the title. "If you're the greatest of all time, which I respect, then you're going to have to show me. That was my mentality. I wanted to play against Michael Jordan. If we were going to get to a championship, we had to go through him," Hardaway quipped. The Magic survived the Indiana Pacers in the 1995 Eastern Conference finals after that and the next matchup was against the Houston Rockets in the Finals. Orlando saw its run come to an abrupt end against Houston. Hakeem Olajuwon and company swept them. They had a better 1995-96 regular season but fell short in the playoffs. Facing the Bulls again, this time in the ECF, Chicago got payback by sweeping Orlando to advance, as MJ was back to his old dominating form after a full offseason. Things got even worse after that for the Magic with O'Neal leaving the franchise for the Los Angeles Lakers. When O'Neal moved to L.A., his rise to greatness was cemented. He won three titles in a row with the Lakers and bagged his first and only MVP in 2000. That three-year run was probably the most dominating run by a player in NBA history because nobody could stop O' story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
