The Nuggets decided on Wednesday to let go of center Jonas Valanciunas, ending his hold on a roster spot and putting the future of his 2026/27 salary in immediate focus.
League sources told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that the move was made that day, and the timing mattered because Valanciunas’ $10MM salary for 2026/27 had already been partially guaranteed for $2MM. If he had not been waived on Wednesday, that salary would have become fully guaranteed. In plain terms, the decision did not just remove a player; it prevented a larger contract obligation from locking in automatically.
That is why the move is showing up now. Valanciunas is the specific player tied to the numbers, and the waiver date is the pivot point. A partial guarantee can function like a deadline with teeth: the team keeps some flexibility until the final trigger is reached, then the full salary becomes unavoidable. The Nuggets moved before that line closed, which is often how teams protect room when they want to keep options open.
The message from the move is not subtle. The Nuggets have to go into the second apron if they want to win again, and decisions like this are the kind that usually come before a team pushes harder on roster and cap structure. Waiving Valanciunas clears one issue, but it also raises the next question: whether the Nuggets are preparing another move or simply choosing flexibility over certainty for now.
What remains unanswered is the plan after the waiver. The team has made its decision on Valanciunas, but it has not yet said whether another roster move will follow. For now, the clearest fact is that Wednesday changed the shape of his contract and the Nuggets chose not to let that guarantee roll forward.
