There was some question, even before the Denver Nuggets tipped off last season, whether backup big man Jonas Valanciunas really wanted to be with the team at all–he’d had an offer in Europe, and preferred to be there. Alas, he had a contract with the Nuggets that the team expected him to honor. And he did, but as the season progressed, it looked more and more like Valanciunas had punched out, and the notion that he could provide good minutes when Nikola Jokic was on the bench quickly evaporated.
Now, heading into the summer, it is almost a foregone conclusion that Valanciunas’ mostly non-guaranteed contract in Denver won’t stay in place. The Nuggets can eat $2 million of the $10 million he is signed for, and let him walk from there. Denver has until the first week in July to make that call, but after Valanciunas played just 6.3 minutes in four games in the playoffs, it seems the decision is already made.
And maybe Zuby Ejiofor is the Nuggets’ next attempt to figure out what to do with the non-Jokic minutes.
Zuby Ejiofor Rising in NBA Draft After Combine
The Nuggets’ don’t have a great draft pick in June, but barring a trade, they will select at No. 26. There is reason to be excited about that prospect, though: The Nuggets do need a backup big man, and there will be more than a handful of good prospects on the board at that time. Ejiofor is expected to be one, and this week, the Nuggets were in attendance at a showcase of Ejiofor at the NBA combine.
Ejiofor is fighting for a first-round spot, and there will be other teams looking for big men in that range.
Ejiofor is only 6-foot-7.5 without shoes, but at the combine, he measured in with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and an 8-foot-11 standing reach. He is not a great shooter, but he has shown potential to improve, and even without that, Ejiofor is a fast-rising center who plays with energy and physicality, averaging 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks last year.
Nuggets Will Dump Jonas Valanciunas Amid Summer Shake-Up
We do know it is going to be a busy summer for the Nuggets, who have some major concerns to clear up after being eliminated–as a No. 3 seed–in the first round by the No. 6 seed Timberwolves. Jokic is staying put, obviously, and Valanciunas is out. But the Nuggets will have decisions on restricted free agent Peyton Watson and bargain wing Tim Hardaway Jr., and a slew of trade candidates to consider, too.
Cam Johnson is a sure trade candidate, but if the Nuggets want to alleviate some financial pressure and give the team flexibility, they could consider dealing Aaron Gordon and/or Christian Braun as their new, big extensions kick in. And there’s also the longshot possibility of a Jamal Murray trade, which could be the quickest path to financial relief.
Amid all that, finding a big man in the draft might be the easiest assignment. Ejiofor makes sense, as does tough-minded Tarris Reed, and polished stratch-5s Henri Veesaar and Alex Karaban.
Nuggets Interest in Rising Big Man Signals Jonas Valanciunas Move