Refusing to join the Nuggets, key signing or leaving the NBA, Jokic is going to miscalculate

Editor|Old Kankan Ball

NBA free market gate has been opened for four days, and the high-quality players in the league have basically been famous, just like Durant joined the Rockets through an epic seven-party deal to create NBA history; Lakers Finney Smith also joined the Rockets, and the league's favorite to compete for the championship was born; the Bucks' hero cut his wrists and lost 2 years of 113 million US dollars to cut Lillard, trying to make a desperate bet to strengthen the team to retain Antetokounmpo; the Celtics were also decisive, starting the reconstruction in advance to send away main players such as Holiday, Porzingis and Horford, saving 238 million US dollars in expenses; even the Lakers, which have been criticized, have won the scorer Laravia and No. 1 Aiton, one after another, but James' stay or not, is still on the table, and he is undecided.

What is also confusing is that the Kings have reached an oral agreement with the Nuggets about the deal for center Valanciunas, and there have also been changes today. According to the latest report by European media BasketNews, Valanciunas, who has been fighting for 13 seasons, is about to leave the NBA and join the Greek giant Panasinakos, who offered him a three-year, 12 million euro (about 13 million US dollars) contract.

According to previous reports from the US media ESPN famous reporter Shams, the Kings trade Valancius to the Nuggets and exchanged for Saric alone. Valanci will play as Jokic's substitute in the new season to enhance the Nuggets' lineup depth. Now, Valan is very likely to choose to refuse to join the Nuggets and instead seek to buy out the NBA contract and go to the European arena, which surprised everyone.

It is worth mentioning that the deal between the Kings and the Nuggets on Valanciunas is only a verbal agreement, and neither party officially announced that the deal was reached.

Valanciunas, who is already 32 years old, played for the Kings last season and averaged 11.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Although the data is not dazzling, he is more than enough as a substitute center. His finishing ability at the basket and rebounding protection are exactly what the Nuggets' second team is urgently needed. Now with Valan's renegade deal, the Nuggets' plan to build a championship lineup around Jokic has also suffered a heavy blow, and the road to defending the title in the new season has suddenly cast a heavy shadow.

Subsequently, famous reporter Marc Stein also confirmed the report and revealed that the league sources confirmed that returning to Europe would have a greater temptation to Valan than joining the Nuggets. In fact, Valanciunas has been traded by the team three times in a year, which does make people feel physically and mentally exhausted and unable to play with peace of mind. In addition, there are realistic considerations behind Valan's choice. At the age of 32, his role positioning in the NBA has gradually become marginalized, and in the European arena, he will return to the core of the team, have more tactical status and more stable playing time. Although the Nuggets can provide opportunities to compete for the championship, the Greek giants provide protection and respect at the end of their careers. The money is close to home, and it is reasonable for the Lithuanian center to refuse the Nuggets.

In fact, since winning the championship in 2023, the Nuggets' lineup depth has been continuously declining, and insufficient substitute strength has become the team's fatal weakness. Last season, the two consecutive rounds of tiebreaks in the playoffs were a huge test for a team with only 6 people available. In the end, the Thunder was unfortunately eliminated in the second round. Obviously, the problem of insufficient lineup depth was infinitely magnified in the playoffs. When Jokic was off the court, the Nuggets' offensive efficiency fell sharply and the defensive rebounds were also lost. Opponents often use this time to open the score, forcing Jokic to return to the court early.

Now, while the Nuggets finally got rid of Sharichi's garbage contract, they also hope to introduce a player like Valan, which is indeed a big improvement under such a tight salary space. Now that the plan to strengthen the bottom price is about to fail again, the Nuggets will still face the embarrassing situation where no one is available at the No. 5 position in the new season.

I have to say that the Nuggets have really experienced ups and downs in recent seasons. Just in May this year, the Nuggets experienced a personnel change of earthquakes - both head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth were fired, and were regarded by local media in Denver as the "start of the destruction of the dynasty." Among them, Booth's operations during his reign have been controversial, including providing a four-year, $208 million super contract for Murray, who is declining, and the decision to grant player options to Sharichi and Westbrook, which was regarded as a "failure" by his opponent's salary strategist, etc.

If Valan eventually regrets the deal and refuses to join the Nuggets and buys out the NBA contract, the Nuggets' strengthening choices in the center position will become extremely limited. Currently, there are only a handful of high-quality centers available in the free market, and the Nuggets' salary space cannot support big-name signings: the Jazz's Kessler's asking price is too high, Horford is regarded as a ban by the Warriors Lakers on one side, and Clarkston's contract is worth $69 million in three seasons.

Internal potential tapping may become a helpless choice. Young players such as Zeke Ennaji and Darren Holmes may need to take more responsibilities, but whether their experience and ability can support Jokic's inside line when he is resting still needs to be questioned.

If there is no qualified substitute center, Jokic's playing time will continue to be forced to increase, and the risk of injury will also increase. What is even more worrying is that the Western Conference competitors are strengthening. In such a general environment, the Nuggets will retreat if they do not advance, and the shortcomings in lineup depth may become the last straw that will crush the camels. Although Jokic is strong, he is hard to support himself. If the Nuggets cannot find a suitable center substitute for the rest of the offseason, the road to winning the championship in the new season will be extremely difficult.