The Denver Nuggets have waived veteran center Jonas Valančiūnas, trimming about $8 million from next season’s books and giving the front office some badly needed salary-cap breathing room. The move came just ahead of the July 8 guarantee deadline on the final year of his contract. Valančiūnas, 34, averaged roughly 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds over 65 games in Denver and now hits the market as an unrestricted free agent.
ESPN insider Shams Charania was first on the news, which quickly made the national rounds. As Sports Illustrated noted, the timing allows Denver to avoid locking in the full $10 million on the deal. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, in a detail highlighted by NBC Sports, reported that the Nuggets are on the hook for roughly $2 million, effectively saving around $8 million.
Contract timing and guarantees
Last offseason, Valančiūnas and the Nuggets quietly restructured the final season of his contract, pushing the guarantee date to July 8 and adding a $2 million partial guarantee. According to RealGM, that tweak gave Denver a tight window to trade, adjust, or waive the veteran big man before the full $10 million became locked in.
Why the Nuggets did it
This is classic cap management more than a referendum on Valančiūnas’ game. By cutting him now, Denver lowers its committed salary and eases some pressure around the league’s second-apron line. The savings matter as the front office works through restricted free agent Peyton Watson’s next contract and other looming commitments, as laid out by the Denver Gazette. Keeping Watson or exploring sign-and-trade scenarios elsewhere will require some careful financial juggling, and the $2 million payout is essentially the price of that flexibility.
What's next for Valančiūnas
With the waiver official, Valančiūnas is free to sign wherever he likes, and interest is not limited to the NBA. BasketNews reported that he has already agreed to a two-year deal with Euroleague club Zalgiris Kaunas, contingent on his departure from the NBA. He is also expected to draw looks from teams in need of a steady veteran backup center, a possibility noted in coverage by NBC Sports. If he chooses the European route, Denver keeps the cap relief from the non-guaranteed portion and will either absorb the $2 million guarantee outright or spread it over multiple seasons using the stretch provision.
The decision and its ripple effects on the rotation and cap sheet have already been dissected on local airwaves, with plenty of talk about what it signals for Denver’s summer plans. That conversation is available in audio and video via the Denver Nuggets podcast entry at WTHR.
