NBA
The Nuggets and Jonas Valanciunas restructured his salary for the 2026-27 season
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated4 minutes ago on November 07, 2025
In seven games to begin the 2025-26 season, the Nuggets are 5-2. Denver started the year 0-1 and has won five of their last six games. On Friday evening, the Nuggets are at home to face the Warriors.
This past offseason, the Nuggets completed a trade with the Kings to acquire big man Jonas Valanciunas. The 33-year-old is in his 14th season in the NBA. Valanciunas has played in all seven games for Denver to begin the year. On Thursday, November 6, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Nuggets and Jonas Valanciunas agreed to restructure the final year of his contract for 2026-27.
Will Jonas Valanciunas play for the Nuggets next season?
Jonas Valanciunas, Nuggets Restructure Deal With July Guarantee Date, $2M Protection https://t.co/KGhbrUG7dl
— RealGM (@RealGM) November 6, 2025
Before he was the fifth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, Jonas Valanciunas played professionally in Lithuania for Lietuvos Rytas from 2010 to 2012. Valanciiunas was selected by the Raptors and spent the first six-and-a-half seasons of his career with Toronto. Since the 2018-19 season, Valanciunas has played for five different franchises. To begin 2024-25, he was a member of the Wizards, but they traded him at the deadline to the Sacramento Kings.
During the 2025 offseason, the Kings traded Jonas Valanciunas to the Nuggets in exchange for Dario Saric. Recently, NBA insider Jake Fischer has news surrounding the Lithuanian big man. Fischer reported that the two parties have agreed to restructure the final year of his contract in 2026-27. If Denver waived Valanciunas before June 29, his $10 million salary for next season would be non-guaranteed.
Jonas Valanciunas’ contract with the Nuggets just got a quiet update 👀
The 2026-27 guarantee date has been pushed back. See what it could mean for his future: https://t.co/M1FVojpnAD pic.twitter.com/vtZnzZLwr9
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) November 6, 2025
However, the Nuggets and Valanciuas have agreed to push that date back to July 8. Additionally, Jonas Valanciunas will now earn a partially guaranteed $2 million in 2026-27 instead of nothing. That’s a win for Valanciunas if he remains with the team. Over the summer, Jonas Valanciunas showed real interest in playing for Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos. Despite his desire to play overseas, the Nuggets would not agree to a contract buyout.
On top of that, the team had just traded for Valanciunas when he showed interest in playing overseas. Denver views Valanciunas as a solid backup for three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The team did not want to part ways with Valanciunas, and they value him on the roster. In seven games to begin the 2025-26 season, Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists. He’s doing that in 11.9 minutes per game. Will the Nuggets keep the veteran big man on the roster for the 2026-27 season?
