Nuggets' Backup Plan Revealed Amid Jonas Valanciunas Rumors

Nuggets' Backup Plan Revealed Amid Jonas Valanciunas Rumors originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Denver Nuggets have had a very active offseason thus far as they have made multiple moves to upgrade their roster to compete for a championship next season.

Denver began their offseason by making a trade with the Brooklyn Nets that landed them Cameron Johnson is exchange for Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 second-round pick.

This was a surprising move by the Nuggets as they had been unwilling to move on from Porter Jr. in prior seasons, though they were able to open up cap space to make more additions to the roster.

After the trade for Johnson, the Nuggets signed Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. to bolster their bench and they also made a trade with the Sacramento Kings where they swapped Dario Saric for Jonas Valanciunas.

This looked to be a great trade for the Nuggets as Valanciunas would be a massive upgrade to the backup center position behind Nikola Jokic, though that changed quickly after reports that he was considering leaving the NBA to sign with a Greek team.

Denver has made it clear that they intend on Valanciunas to honor his contract with the team and play in the NBA next season but that may not be the case if the veteran big man forces his way overseas.

If Valanciunas does end up leaving the NBA for Greece, the Nuggets do have a backup plan according to a recent report.

According to Spurs Insider Dusty Garza, the Nuggets have shown interest in Boston Celtics champion Al Horford as a potential replacement for Valanciunas.

Al Horford weighing offers from the Nuggets and Warriors is actually great news for Jonas Valančiūnas’ planned move to Greece. Denver suddenly has a high-level veteran replacement in sight — and that could accelerate JV’s exit. There was never a real tug-of-war with Panathinaikos… pic.twitter.com/LKrdy0hGC8

— SpursRΞPORTΞR (@SpursReporter) July 8, 2025

Of course, there have been many teams around the NBA showing interest in Horford, including the Golden State Warriors, as they believe the veteran big man would be a great addition to their roster.

Despite being 39 years old, Horford is still a great rebounder and scorer and also excels on the defensive end.

If the Nuggets end up landing him this summer, expect Valanciunas to try and force his way overseas, though Denver would have a replacement already on their roster if that ends up being the case.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.