Northwest Notes: Valanciunas, Nuggets, Avdija, Jazz

After flirting with a move overseas during the 2025 offseason, Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas is once again drawing interest from teams in Europe, he confirmed during an appearance this week on the Pikenrolas podcast (YouTube link).

“I received attention,” Valanciunas said, per BasketNews.com. “Yes, there were talks with one team, another team, and the Lithuanian club. There are discussions, and we are deciding. But the final word belongs to Denver. First of all, it depends on whether they trade me, keep me, or not. That’s their decision.

“Right now, I think the bigger question for them is what they will do with the roster overall: who stays and who goes. As I understand it, only Nikola (Jokic) is untouchable, and everyone else can be moved. I think everything will be clear in the first week of July, or maybe even earlier.”

A year ago, Valanciunas appeared to be on the verge of joining the Greek team Panathinaikos, but Sacramento traded him to the Nuggets, who wanted to him to honor his NBA contract and become Jokic’s primary backup. This time around, the cap-strapped Nuggets seem less likely to retain Valanciunas, whose $10MM salary is partially guaranteed for just $2MM. A move to the EuroLeague would become a whole lot more viable if the big man is waived by Denver.

Citing a report from the outlet Sport24, Alessandro Maggi of Sportando says Panathinaikos is once again in the mix for Valanciunas this offseason, with the Turkish team Fenerbahce and Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas also reportedly showing interest.

We have more from around the Northwest:

• There are three types of trades the Nuggets could make this offseason, according to Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette, who weighs the merits of a salary-dump deal, a sign-and-trade involving Peyton Watson, or a more significant move involving an impact player like Jamal Murray or Aaron Gordon.
• Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link) takes a look at the potential paths the Trail Blazers could take with Deni Avdija‘s next contract, observing that a standard veteran extension is unlikely because Portland’s maximum offer would be well below the forward’s market value due to his modest $11.9MM salary for 2027/28. If they want to avoid waiting until Avdija’s free agency to negotiate a new deal, the Blazers will likely have to open up cap room next summer in order to renegotiate that ’27/28 figure, Highkin writes. Bumping up that ’27/28 figure would increase Avdija’s maximum extension, which could be completed at the same time.
• While there has been some chatter about the possibility that the Jazz could trade up or down in the draft, Tony Jones of The Athletic argues that the team’s approach to the No. 2 pick should be straightforward: take whichever of AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson is available. As Jones outlines, Utah’s roster lacks a starting-caliber shooting guard, and either Dybantsa or Peterson is capable of filling that hole while providing elite long-term upside. In the event that Cameron Boozer is the surprise No. 1 pick, Jones advocates for the Jazz taking Dybantsa over Peterson.