Jonas Valanciunas trade grades for Nuggets, Kings
The Denver Nuggets entered the 2025 NBA offseason with one goal. MVP runner-up Nikola Jokic was in desperate need of depth in the Western Conference playoffs. After Denver traded for Cameron Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets, the Nuggets became a team to watch. General manager Ben Tenzer swung a trade with the Sacramento Kings one day later, landing Jonas Valanciunas.
Advertisement
The move sees Valanciunas and Dario Saric swapping teams, giving Jokic the backup he needs. Throughout his career, the two-time MVP's on-off numbers are some of the worst in league history. Valanciunas is a 13-year veteran who can step in and help keep the Nuggets afloat when their leader rests.
The center has two years left on his deal, costing Denver around $20 million in total. Saric, on the other hand, joins Sacramento on an expiring deal. The move opens up cap space for the Kings next summer, allowing them to pursue stars like Mikal Bridges and Trae Young.
Valanciunas joins Johnson and Bruce Brown as the newest members of the Nuggets. Upon their arrival, David Adelman can comfortably go nine players deep, 10 if Denver can bring Russell Westbrook back.
Here are our grades for the deal on both sides.
Advertisement
Denver Nuggets: B
While this trade fills a need for the Nuggets, a lot of it hinges on Valanciunas' future production. After 12 seasons of averaging more than 10.0 points per game, the veteran struggled in Sacramento down the stretch of the season. While a lot of that could be attributed to playing alongside a nonshooting big in Domantas Sabonis, his production dip is worth noting.
He is not the player he once was, but Denver does not need him to be. Valanciunas will have a smaller workload behind Jokic, giving him the opportunity to punish backup centers on the glass. Another plus he brings to the Nuggets is his ability to set screens. At 6'11' and 265 lbs., Valanciunas can set bone-crushing screens to free up shooters.
Sacramento Kings: C+
The reason why the Kings made this trade is obvious. At this point, the question is which big-name free agent Sacramento will pursue next summer. Daric's contract will be off the books at that point, but the 2026 NBA free-agent class is not a very deep one. Young and Bridges are two of the bigger names, but both are likely to stay with their team.
Advertisement
The Kings have stolen free agents from other teams in the past, but none of them were big names. With a team led by Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento has one last season to try and figure things out in the Western Conference. Even with all of the money they will have at their disposal next summer, it means nothing if they don't have a plan.
Related: Why the Nuggets are massive 2025 NBA free agency winners
Related: Tim Hardaway Jr. becomes latest key Nuggets free agency addition
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Boxer Chavez's appeal against arrest if deported from US rejected: Mexico prosecutor
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., whose sports career is on the decline at the age of 39, is alleged to have ties to the Sinaloa cartel (Harry How) Mexico's attorney general office said a court has so far rejected requests from boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to not be arrested in the event of his deportation from the United States, where he was detained for alleged drug trafficking ties. Chavez, a former world champion and the son of legendary Mexican fighter Julio Cesar Chavez, was arrested Wednesday in Los Angeles after authorities determined that he was in the country illegally. Advertisement His defense attorneys "have presented us" with "five or six injunctions" from the boxer "to have him released as soon as he arrives in Mexico," Attorney General Alejandro Gertz said at a press conference on Sunday. These injunctions were rejected because Chavez has not yet been handed over to Mexican authorities, he said. His deportation could be decided at an immigration hearing, which according to the defense team, will be held on Monday. Chavez, whose sports career is on the decline at the age of 39, is alleged to have ties to the Sinaloa cartel, one of six Mexican drug trafficking groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United States. Advertisement Following his arrest, US authorities announced Thursday that they were processing his "expedited removal" and referred to the charges against him in Mexico. The attorney general's office confirmed in a statement after his arrest last week that Mexico had issued an arrest warrant for Chavez in 2023 "for organized crime and arms trafficking." Chavez's defense team has rejected the accusations and maintained that his arrest seeks to "terrorize the community" amid raids against undocumented migrants. Chavez's arrest came days after his lopsided loss to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a cruiserweight bout before a sell-out crowd at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Advertisement Once a top-rated boxer, Chavez won the WBC middleweight world title in 2011 and successfully defended it three times. He owns a record of 54-7 with one draw, but his career has also included multiple suspensions and fines for failed drug tests. sem/das/abh/dhc
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Luka Doncic Sends Seven-Word Message to Kyrie Irving on Thursday
Luka Doncic Sends Seven-Word Message to Kyrie Irving on Thursday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks have experienced very different outcomes since the trade deadline deal that sent Luka Doncic to L.A. Advertisement The Lakers, with their new duo of Doncic and LeBron James, were able to move up to the No. 3 seed in the West. However, their season ended early in the playoffs, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1 in the first round. The Mavericks, on the other hand, caught the injury bug following the trade. Anthony Davis was hurt in his Dallas debut, while Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL. But the Mavericks flipped the script when they won the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes in the 2025 NBA Draft. Amid his offseason recovery, Irving took to social media to share a personal update. His Instagram post featured photos of himself on a yacht, working out and spending time with friends and family. "All, in due time. 🤞🏾♾🪶 #A11even #CheifHela," Irving captioned his post. Advertisement A few hours after Irving published his post, Doncic took notice of the photos, sarcastically thanking Irving for inviting him on his yacht. "Thanks for the invite on the yacht😂," Doncic responded. Doncic and Irving spent one full season together with the Mavericks before the Slovenian was unexpectedly traded away in February. In fact, less than a year before the deal, the two All-Stars led Dallas to the NBA Finals. However, the Mavericks fell in five games to the Boston Celtics. Luka Doncic commented on Kyrie Irving's latest Instagram Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports Both the Lakers and Mavericks have made major moves to start the offseason as they look to contend for a championship in the 2025-26 season. Advertisement The Lakers addressed a major need by signing center Deandre Ayton to a two-year deal. The Mavericks, meanwhile, added guard D'Angelo Russell to pair with their selection of Flagg. Russell is expected to help fill the gap left by Irving, who continues his recovery to start next season. Related: Cooper Flagg Didn't Hesitate When Naming the NBA's Best Player This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dalton Knecht 'Shook,' Lakers Fans Hyped Over Bronny James Dunk
Dalton Knecht 'Shook,' Lakers Fans Hyped Over Bronny James Dunk originally appeared on Athlon Sports. LeBron James' son, Bronny James, keeps making a strong impression amid the Los Angeles Lakers' offseason. Advertisement Recently, player development coach Chris Johnson shared a video of the 20-year-old guard working on his cardio and finishing with dunks. Fans were clearly impressed by his athleticism, with many even hyping up his upcoming second season in the NBA. On Wednesday, James showed his insane hops once again, this time during the Lakers' most recent practice in preparation for the NBA Summer League this July. In a video the Lakers posted on social media, the young James was shown jumping and throwing the ball down with force as he slammed the ball with ease. The Lakers' caption even noted James' 2025 draft classmate, Dalton Knecht's reaction to the dunk. Advertisement "Bronny's dunk had Dalton SHOOK," the post stated. Naturally, the Lakers faithful were hyped by what they saw from Bronny James. "Most improved player award," a commenter wrote. Another one said, "Bronny Lakers Future." "Yeah that's a nice dunk," an impressed fan added. A fourth supporter shared, "Bronny on a fast break go be crazy." "This kid is athletic [expletive]," a follower stated. A social media user remarked, "Bro got real air fs." Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht was in awe of Bronny James' latest dunk in Hui-Imagn Images James averaged 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 27 games played for the Lakers in 2024-25. In the G League, however, he put up 18.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals between the regular season and Tip-Off Tournament. Advertisement Sure enough, it will be interesting to see if the eldest son of LeBron James can make significant improvements in 2025-26. His latest video certainly raises expectations, though. Related: Luka Doncic Goes Viral After Deandre Ayton Joins Lakers This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
