Jonas Valanciunas Reportedly Traded to Nuggets from Kings for Dario Saric amid NBA FA

Having already added Cam Johnson to their roster on the first day of free agency, the Denver Nuggets are acquiring Jonas Valančiūnas from the Sacramento Kings as depth behind Nikola Jokić.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Kings are sending Valančiūnas to Denver in exchange for Dario Šarić.

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted the Nuggets will be taking on an additional $5 million in salary for the 2025-26 season by swapping Valančiūnas' contract for Saric's deal.

The Kings' savings in this trade allowed them to sign Dennis Schröder straight up on a three-year, $45 million deal, rather than a potential sign-and-trade with the Detroit Pistons, without going over the tax.

The Nuggets have been aggressively upgrading their roster while also finding ways to reduce their spending. They agreed to swap Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 unprotected first-round pick for Cam Johnson in a deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

Even with taking on the higher salary in the Valančiūnas-Šarić, the Nuggets have still saved $12.3 million in payroll for next season.

That total doesn't include the one-year deal Bruce Brown received to return to Denver two years after helping the franchise win the NBA title.

Šarić, who signed with the Nuggets as a free agent last summer, barely factored into their rotation during the 2024-25 campaign. The 31-year-old only played in 16 games, with 10 coming in the first month of the season.

The Nuggets were using DeAndre Jordan and Zeke Nnaji at center when Jokić was off the floor.

Valančiūnas gives them a capable backup big who can help take some of the pressure off the three-time MVP. He averaged 10.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 81 appearances last season split between the Kings and Washington Wizards.

After losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games in the Western Conference semifinals, the Nuggets have done a terrific job so far in upgrading their roster to compete with the reigning NBA champs going into the 2025-26 season.