The Denver Nuggets received bad news regarding a potential pursuit of Al Horford.
Nuggets Receive Unfortunate Al Horford Update After Jonas Valanciunas News originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Denver Nuggets have had a pretty impressive offseason. Since it began, Denver has acquired Cameron Johnson for Michael Porter Jr., brought back Bruce Brown, and signed Tim Hardaway Jr. They also traded Dario Saric for Jonas Valanciunas, but there's been a problem.
Recent reports have indicated that Valanciunas plans to leave the NBA to play for the Greek basketball team Panathinaikos overseas. For that to happen, Valanciunas would have to get out of his contractual obligation with the Nuggets, which is yet to be seen.
If both this sides work out the matter with Valanciunas choosing to give back all of the money he's owed with his NBA contract, that would open up the opportunity to sign Boston Celtics center Al Horford in free agency with the full mid-level exception.
Horford makes sense as a backup center for the Nuggets, but his joining the Nuggets is nothing more than a pipe dream. Marc Stein reported that despite what the Nuggets can offer, Horford's signing with the Golden State Warriors is inevitable.
"While having the full non-taxpayer midlevel would theoretically provide the Nuggets with the financial flexibility to offer a richer Year 1 salary to Boston Celtics free agent Al Horford that Golden State can pitch, I continue to hear that Horford is destined to land in the Bay Area," Stein wrote. "That's despite the fact that the Warriors currently have only the $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel to offer him."
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If Valanciunas leaves to go overseas, and Horford signs with the Warriors, the Nuggets may have to turn to the trade market to get a backup center for Nikola Jokic. Despite the delay, Horford seems bound for Golden State.
Related: Nuggets Fans Excited After New Al Horford Report
Related: Bill Simmons Reveals Team That Will Sign Veteran Center Al Horford in Free Agency
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
