The Denver Nuggets have made a salary-cap-related decision on the contract of former center Jonas Valanciunas.
Valanciunas had a partial guarantee on the $10 million he was owed by the Nuggets for the 2026-27 season. However, after a mediocre performance as Nikola Jokic’s backup center in 2025-26, the Nuggets decided to pay him his partial guarantee of $2 million instead of keeping him around for $10 million next year.
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Now, they have made a salary-cap decision on that $2 million cap hit.
Nuggets Stretch Contract of Jonas Valanciunas
According to NBA reporter Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Nuggets decided to stretch the remaining $2 million left on Valanciunas’ contract over the next three seasons, for a cap hit of $667,000 for each of the next three years.
“The Denver Nuggets are stretching Jonas Valanciunas’ remaining $2 million salary owed for the 2026-27 season, league sources told @hoopshype . As a result, Valanciunas will be on Denver’s books for $667K each of the following three seasons,” Scotto wrote on X.
While the Nuggets are still slightly over the second apron, by stretching this $2 million over the next three seasons, they significantly lowered their luxury tax hit.
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According to HoopsRumors.com, the Nuggets will save approximately $9 million in luxury tax savings by stretching this deal, so you can understand why Denver’s front office and ownership group decided to push the cap hit over the next three years.
Who Will Back Up Nikola Jokic Next Season?
With Valanciunas gone, the Nuggets signed veteran Marvin Bagley III to be Jokic’s backup center next year.
Although Bagley was once considered a busted prospect, he had a good season split between the Washington Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks last season, and as a younger player, he should have the motor to give Denver the backup minutes that it seeks whenever Jokic needs a breather or is injured.
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Bagley is only making $3.5 million this coming year on a cheap one-year flyer, so it was a solid move by the Nuggets, who will likely get superior production from him at a lower price compared to what the Nuggets would have had to pay Valanciunas before he was released by them.
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