With the 2025–26 NBA season in sight, the Denver Nuggets are shaping their roster with the goal of expanding head coach David Adelman’s options and bolstering the support around Nikola Jokic. Earlier this week, they made a key addition by acquiring an important player—but now, they could lose him to a European team.
On July 1, the Nuggets agreed to a trade with the Kings that sent Dario Saric to Sacramento and brought Jonas Valanciunas to Denver. The move was intended to strengthen the team’s interior presence with a physically dominant and experienced center, allowing Jokic to take on a different role on the court.
However, just two days after the deal between the Nuggets and the Kings was completed, rumors emerged about Valanciunas possibly heading not to another NBA team, but to a European club.
“Jonas Valanciunas is close to making a stunning move. The veteran center is considering a new challenge overseas with Panathinaikos Athens, sources tell BasketNews,” reporters Donatas Urbonas and Karolis Tiskevicius wrote Thursday.
33-year-old center Jonas Valanciunas
According to this report, one of the main factors behind the Lithuanian center’s potential move from the NBA to the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague next season is financial: Panathinaikos has reportedly offered a three-year contract worth nearly €12 million ($14.1 million).
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This would not only provide Valanciunas with a substantial paycheck but also long-term stability—an important consideration for the 33-year-old veteran. “His current NBA contract was only guaranteed through the 2025–26 season, during which the Denver Nuggets would pay him $10.4 million. Next summer, the Nuggets hold the option to either extend the deal for one more season or decline the $10 million team option,” BasketNews noted.
Still, the appeal of the move isn’t purely financial. On the basketball side, Panathinaikos also offers a chance to compete for championships both domestically and across Europe. The club won the Greek Basket League just a year ago and captured the 2023–24 EuroLeague title by defeating Real Madrid in the final, solidifying its place among Europe’s top teams.
If the deal goes through, Valanciunas would close the chapter on a 13-year NBA career that included stops with the Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, and Sacramento Kings—before this week’s trade to the Denver Nuggets.
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