<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-active-trade-market-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: Denver ‘active’ on trade market after major injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Denver-Nuggets-guard-Christian-Braun-looks-on-during-a-game-on-October-25-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: Denver ‘active’ on trade market after major injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-18T07:35:58-08:00">November 18th, 7:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-18T16:42:15-08:00">November 18th, 4:42pm</time><address><a>Sai Mohan</a>Sai Mohan is a veteran sportswriter based in Portugal. Sai covers the NBA for ClutchPoints, Heavy Sports, Yardbarker and a few local outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. These days, he roams free as a digital nomad.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The red-hot Denver Nuggets (10-3) suffered an injury setback last Wednesday when Christian Braun, the starting shooting guard, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-christian-braun-leaves-clippers-game-ankle-injury-2">went down with an ankle injury</a>. With Braun <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-christian-braun-to-miss-multiple-weeks-severe-ankle-sprain">expected to miss at least six weeks</a> of action, the Nuggets could use more depth at the guard spot. According to insider Matt Moore, the Calvin Booth-led front office began <a href="https://fansided.com/nba/nba-insider-trade-rumors-anthony-davis-ja-morant" rel="noopener">scouring the league for a backup guard</a> even before Braun got hurt.</p><p>“The Nuggets are said to be actively looking for a point guard who can add shooting, even before Christian Braun’s ankle injury, which will keep him out six weeks,” Moore reported on Fansided.</p><p>Braun, arguably Denver’s best perimeter defender this season, shot 21.4% from three through 11 games, while averaging 11.4 points. Those numbers are drastically down from last year, when the Kansas alum shot a career-high 39.7% from three. As such, it’s not exactly surprising that the Nuggets were seeking additional backcourt shooting even before his injury.</p><h2><b>Christian Braun not easy to replace</b></h2><p>While Braun’s offensive production will be easier to fill, given that offseason pickups Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown have been excelling in their roles, his defense will be greatly missed by the Nuggets. Through his 11 starts, Braun routinely guarded the opposition’s best wing scorer, holding the likes of Zach LaVine (16.7%), Norman Powell (14.3%), and Jonathan Kuminga (25%) to subpar numbers. Braun also did a number on Stephen Curry in the two matchups between the Nuggets and Warriors earlier this season.</p><p>There’s a reason Braun ranks second in defensive rating (107.4) and third in net rating (10.9) among all Nuggets starters, while also doing the dirty work for David Adelman’s team on a nightly basis.</p><p>So, who exactly can the Nuggets pursue in the trade market to fill the void left by Braun?</p><p>Orlando Magic’s Tyus Jones fits the criteria of a backup point guard who can shoot, and so does Scotty Pippen Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Nuggets could also consider veteran Kings guard Dennis Schroder, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLfHxlLUKdA" rel="noopener">who could be on the market</a>, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: Denver ‘active’ on trade market after major injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-the-sneaky-jonas-valanciunas-move-that-come-handy-trade-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: The sneaky Jonas Valanciunas move that could come in handy in trade talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Nuggets-center-Jonas-Valaciunas.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: The sneaky Jonas Valanciunas move that could come in handy in trade talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-06T13:15:37-08:00">November 6th, 1:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-06T13:15:37-08:00">November 6th, 1:15pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Veteran center Jonas Valanciunas and the Denver Nuggets are reportedly keep their options open for next season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-jonas-valanciunas-fully-commits-denver-amid-panathinaikos-rumors">Valanciunas considered committing to a team in Greece</a> before the Sacramento Kings traded him to the Nuggets over the summer. The 33-year-old center is in the second-to-last year of his three-year, $30.2 million contract, worth $10 million for the 2026-27 campaign.</p><p>Depending on how this season goes as Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic’s backup, Valanciunas could turn into <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-on-ja-morant-and-more" rel="noopener">a trade chip</a> for the Nuggets next summer, per The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer.</p><p>“League sources say that the Nuggets and Valančiūnas have mutually agreed to move the guarantee date on his 2026-27 salary from June 29 to July 8. The switch will give Denver some greater optionality to potentially use Valančiūnas’ salary in an offseason trade as opposed to deciding on next season before free agency begins at 6 PM ET on June 30,” Fischer reported. “The 33-year-old will likewise be eligible for an extension with the Nuggets after this season plays out if he decides he’s willing to stick around the NBA a little longer.</p><p>“Yet the later guarantee date means Valančiūnas can’t become a free agent until after the league’s annual moratorium during the first week of free agency is lifted.”</p><p>Valanciunas is averaging 8.3 points on 53.5% shooting and 4.6 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game for the Nuggets, thus far.</p><h2><b>Jonas Valanciunas agrees to new agreement with Nuggets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Nuggets-center-Jonas-Valaciunas-2.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Nuggets veteran <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/denver-nuggets-perfect-move-in-2025-nba-offseason">Jonas Valanciunas’ addition to the team added depth</a> alongside offseason moves for Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr., as the Nuggets will look to compete amid a competitive Western Conference. Still, Valanciunas and the Nuggets could be a one-year job, as Jonas is in the latter stages of a long NBA career.</p><p>“To secure Valančiūnas’ consent on the new arrangement, which could make him more attractive in trades for teams looking to slice payroll, sources say that Valančiūnas’ $10 million salary for next season will now pay him a minimum of $2 million no matter what,” Fischer reported. “That’s even if the Nuggets or a team that trades for him decides to waive the bruising Lithuanian before the guarantee date.</p><p>“Before the amendment, Valančiūnas’ $10 million salary for 2025-26 could have been reduced to zero if Denver (or a team that traded for him) released him by June 29. How this season plays out and how significant Valančiūnas’ role proves to be as Nikola Jokić’s backup will surely determine how Denver ultimately uses the amended contract,” Fischer concludes.</p><p>The Nuggets defeated the Heat 122-112 on Wednesday, improving to 5-2 on the regular season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: The sneaky Jonas Valanciunas move that could come in handy in trade talks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-wait-could-christian-braun-actually-sign-a-125-million-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: Wait, could Christian Braun actually sign a $125 million contract extension?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Raptors-guard-Ochai-Agbaji-battles-for-the-rebound-with-Nuggets-guard-Christian-Braun.jpg"><figcaption>Bob Frid-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: Wait, could Christian Braun actually sign a $125 million contract extension?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-20T07:12:27-07:00">October 20th, 7:12am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-20T07:12:27-07:00">October 20th, 7:12am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets are just days away from kicking off their 2025-26 NBA campaign, but Christian Braun has yet to put pen to paper for an extension contract with the team that welcomed him into the league. With the NBA extension deadline hitting this Monday, the question of whether Braun and the Nuggets get a deal done or not has become a bigger topic.</p><p>The former Kansas Jayhawks star is reportedly seeking a new contract worth five years, with a range of $115 million to $125 million.<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-christian-braun-contract-extension-pessimism"> There is said to be some “pessimism”</a> about such a contract going through, but <a href="https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/2025/10/20/nba-intel-christian-braun-and-dyson-daniels-extension-talks-bucks-wizards/86795782007/" rel="noopener">the needle may have moved a bit</a> toward Braun’s favor.</p><p>“Heading into Monday’s extension deadline, there’s cautious optimism that a deal will get done between the Denver Nuggets and Christian Braun, league sources told HoopsHype,” wrote Michael Scotto of HoopsHype on Monday.</p><p>“Talks between the Nuggets and Braun’s representative, Bill Duffy of WME Sports, have centered on a five-year deal in the $115-125 million range, league sources told HoopsHype,” added Scotto.</p><p>Braun, who turned 24 years old in April, has proven himself to be a valuable member of the Nuggets. While Denver <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-bill-simmons-nikola-jokic-2020-decade">will still go as far as where three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic takes them</a>, Braun has carved out a significant role on the team through his first three years in the pros.</p><p>In the 2024-25 NBA season, Braun became a regular starter for the first time and averaged career-highs in points (15.4), rebounds (5.2), assists (2.6) and steals (1.1) per game, as his minutes ballooned from just 20.2 minutes per contest mostly as a reserve in the 2023-24 campaign to 33.9 last season. His efficiency numbers also did not suffer despite bigger responsibilities in 2024-25, as he posted <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/braunch01.html" rel="noopener">career-bests as well in true shooting percentage</a> (66.5%), win shares (8.0) and win shares per 48 minutes (.144).</p><p>Suppose Braun doesn’t get an extension from the Nuggets, who are also trying to stay <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/apron/_/year/2025" rel="noopener">under the first tax apron</a>, they will be at risk of losing him to free agency in the summer of 2026 after exercising their club options on him for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.</p><p>The Nuggets will begin their 2025-26 journey this Thursday away from home, as they face off against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: Wait, could Christian Braun actually sign a $125 million contract extension?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-christian-braun-contract-extension-pessimism');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: Christian Braun contract extension ‘pessimism’ persists amid $25 million desires');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Nuggets-forward-Christian-Braun-vs-Bulls-in-NBA-Preseason.jpg"><figcaption>Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: Christian Braun contract extension ‘pessimism’ persists amid $25 million desires</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-19T09:40:14-07:00">October 19th, 9:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-19T09:40:14-07:00">October 19th, 9:40am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-breakout-star-michael-malone-wanted-traded-last-season">Michael Malone nearly traded Denver Nuggets forward Christian Braun during the 2023–2024 NBA season</a>. But then came his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-christian-braun-makes-franchise-history-game-6-thunder-takedown">breakout performance in Game 6 of the semifinals against the Thunder</a>, a night that changed everything. As a starter, he played with relentless energy and set the tone early. He turned defense into offense and sparked the Nuggets to a pivotal win. From there, Braun’s rise from potential trade piece to postseason difference-maker reshaped his place within the organization. As <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-bobby-marks-30-million-prediction-nuggets-breakout-star">Christian Braun’s contract extension deadline approaches</a>, though, optimism remains in short supply.</p><p>Jake Fischer of The Stein Line <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/lots-and-lots-of-the-nbas-latest?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=176456421&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">reports</a> that pessimism still surrounds a potential Christian Braun extension. Braun is reportedly seeking a deal worth around $25 million annually, a reflection of his growing role and steady improvement since the 2023 championship run. Meanwhile, Denver’s front office, led by Josh Kroenke, continues to emphasize financial restraint. The team wants to stay under the luxury tax threshold next season, which has made the Nuggets negotiations increasingly complex and slowed progress.</p><p>Braun’s case for an extension remains strong. His defense, hustle, and chemistry with Nikola Jokic make him a key piece of Denver’s rotation. Still, internal talks have been cautious. Sources say that discussions with Peyton Watson are ongoing but secondary, and they will only advance if Braun’s deal isn’t finalized before Monday’s deadline.</p><p>For the Nuggets, the clock is ticking. If Braun reaches restricted free agency next summer, his rising market value could make him harder to keep without exceeding their budget. Matching an outside offer is possible but expensive. As the Nuggets’ NBA season draws closer, Braun’s situation highlights Denver’s balancing act, rewarding homegrown talent while maintaining financial discipline. The Christian Braun negotiations now stand as one of the defining off-court storylines heading into another Nuggets title chase.</p><p>Will the Nuggets lock in its rising star before another team makes a move?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: Christian Braun contract extension ‘pessimism’ persists amid $25 million desires

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-nugget-forever-declaration-contract-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s ‘Nugget forever’ declaration silences contract rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Nikola-Jokic-with-Denver-Nuggets.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s ‘Nugget forever’ declaration silences contract rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-29T11:22:06-07:00">September 29th, 11:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-29T11:37:12-07:00">September 29th, 11:37am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut-based sports journalist with over five years of professional experience. After graduating from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, he has covered every sport from fencing to football in the online and print medium. Dan hopes to see his beloved Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While Nikola Jokic was eligible for a $206.4 million contract extension, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-how-denver-feels-nikola-jokic-declining-contract-extension" rel="noopener">Denver Nuggets star decided to turn that offer down</a>. However, Nuggets fans shouldn’t be panicking about Jokic’s future.</p><p>By waiting until next offseason, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-why-nikola-jokic-declining-contract-extension-isnt-worrisome" rel="noopener">Jokic will be eligible for a contract extension worth nearly $300 million</a>. He understands the business side of the NBA and wants the biggest bag possible. But whatever his final contract figure ends up being, Jokic <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1972724939716481078" rel="noopener">is confident</a> the offer will be coming from the Nuggets, via Rachel Strand of ClutchPoints.</p><p>“Contract extensions come as a reward,” Jokic said. “It’s something that is natural to the sport. Especially in today’s NBA, you see how the salary cap is going.”</p><p>“My plan is to be Nuggets forever,” he continued.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I don't think about it… Those contract extensions come as a reward, as something that is natural to the sport… My plan is to be with the Nuggets forever, so that's my answer."</p><p>Nikola Jokic on signing a contract extension with Denver 🙌</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/MileHighRachel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MileHighRachel</a>) <a href="https://t.co/RYHm4m4weX">pic.twitter.com/RYHm4m4weX</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1972724939716481078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jokic is under contract through the 2026-27 season and has a player option for 2027-28. Denver has time to get a deal done and the star center seems serious about remaining in Mile High for the remainder of his career. Still, a contract extension would relieve any fan’s worries about a potential Jokic departure down the line.</p><p>He is coming off of a campaign in which he finished second in MVP voting. Jokic averaged 29.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. If he keeps performing at that level, the Nuggets will continually be in the championship hunt.</p><p>After winning the NBA title in the 2022-23 season, Denver has made it to the Western Conference Semifinals in back-to-back season. However, they’re trying to build out their roster for another championship run. Still, any changes the Nuggets make will be with Jokic in mind. Their championship window is based upon their big man’s league-changing talent.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s ‘Nugget forever’ declaration silences contract rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/michael-porter-jr-rumors-russell-westbrook-ruining-nuggets-locker-room');   ga('set', 'title', 'Michael Porter Jr. takes hammer to rumors about Russell Westbrook ruining Nuggets’ locker room');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Michael-Porter-Jr.-and-Russell-Westbrook.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Michael Porter Jr. takes hammer to rumors about Russell Westbrook ruining Nuggets’ locker room</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-24T09:06:59-07:00">September 24th, 9:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-24T09:06:59-07:00">September 24th, 9:06am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets will look a bit different this season after making a flurry of moves over the summer to help improve their team. One of the moves was trading <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-trade-bombshell-cam-johnson-deal">Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets</a> for Cam Johnson. They also decided not to bring Russell Westbrook back, as he’s still looking to see where he might play this season.</p><p>The Nuggets had a good season last year, but there were also times when rumors came out that made it seem like everything wasn’t good. A rumor that caught the attention of many was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-russell-westbrook-still-scapegoated-for-michael-malone-firing">Westbrook ruining the locker room</a>, which some players came out and immediately denied was true.</p><p>Though Porter is on a different team now, he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCn9z3a35YQ" rel="noopener">spoke about those rumors</a> and also denied that Westbrook was a problem.</p><p>“The things that came out were normal things that happen within an NBA season,” Porter said on the Justin Laboy show. “I don’t know who leaked some of the stuff in the locker room. I don’t know if it was one of the coaches… But it was a little strange because the things that came out—like, yeah— Teammates aren’t going to see eye to eye. They’re going to get into it. It was little stuff, though.</p><p>“Russ—he’s a real positive dude, for sure.”</p><p>It seems as if the rift in the locker room was normal stuff, and whatever they said about Westbrook was blown out of proportion.</p><h2><b>Michael Porter Jr. describes playing with Russell Westbrook</b></h2><p>Despite the noise from the outside, it looks like Porter and the rest of the Nuggets team enjoyed playing with Westbrook</p><p>“When he came over with us—he came in with some great energy,” Porter said. “He really bought into the system. He was cheering people on. But it’s an 82-game season, so obviously there’s going to be highs and lows. Any player on the team—not just Russ— We were all kind of, at points in the season, tripping about minutes, tripping about this, tripping about that. So it was normal things through an 82-game season. But me and Russ had a good relationship. I looked up to Russ in a lot of ways.”</p><p>Westbrook has had a great career in the league, being on championship-caliber teams and also winning an MVP of his own. At this point in his career, he could be looked at as a key player off the bench, and that could be enough to help a team compete.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Michael Porter Jr. takes hammer to rumors about Russell Westbrook ruining Nuggets’ locker room

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-brian-windhorst-claims-warned-nikola-jokic-not-being-shape-eurobasket');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: Brian Windhorst claims he was ‘warned’ about Nikola Jokic not being in shape for EuroBasket');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Jokic-dribbles.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: Brian Windhorst claims he was ‘warned’ about Nikola Jokic not being in shape for EuroBasket</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-10T08:21:36-07:00">September 10th, 8:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T15:41:56-07:00">September 11th, 3:41pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets are exactly six weeks away from kicking off their 2025-26 NBA season with a new-look team around superstar Nikola Jokic. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nikola-jokic-serbia-upset-by-lauri-markkanen-finland-in-eurobasket-round-of-16">Jokic has been keeping busy</a> in recent weeks by representing his native country of Serbia at the ongoing EuroBasket tournament, where he has put together some mammoth stat lines to help keep his team afloat despite some injury concerns.</p><p>Despite this, Jokic’s averages for the tournament, by his standards, have been a bit pedestrian, and recently, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst took to the Hoop Collective podcast to shed some light on <a href="https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/nba_insider_claims_jokic_was_not_in_top_shape_in_eurobasket/s1_17250_42714734" rel="noopener">why he believes</a> that may be the case.</p><p>“I was talking to a guy that I know who’s a Serbian NBA executive…And I was like, I don’t trust, you know, Serbia is known to pull some punches, you know, play a little, play a little game where they don’t show their full situation…until it really matters. And he was like, no, he’s like, ‘Jokic is not quite on his game. He’s not quite in top shape.’ You know, he warned me,” said Windhorst, per YardBaker, via Sports Illustrated.</p><p>While Jokic has never physically appeared to be in NBA shape throughout his career, his conditioning has never been an issue during his time with the Nuggets, and it’s unlikely that Denver fans have anything to worry about in that regard.</p><h2><b>Can the Nuggets bounce back?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Jokic-1.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Last year, the Denver Nuggets very nearly took out the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder before bowing out to them in seven game in the Western Conference semifinals.</p><p>This offseason, the Nuggets have added some nice talent by trading Michael Porter Jr. for Brooklyn Nets wing Cam Johnson and adding Tim Hardaway Jr. and former 2023 champion Bruce Brown in free agency.</p><p>The big question now for the Nuggets is whether Jamal Murray is still a legitimate No. 2 option on a championship team, which has proven not to be the case in the last two years since Denver won the Larry O’Brien trophy.</p><p>Still, with Jokic in the mix, anything is possible, even if his conditioning could use some work before the season starts.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: Brian Windhorst claims he was ‘warned’ about Nikola Jokic not being in shape for EuroBasket

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-why-lebron-james-nikola-jokic-agent-actually-met-france');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Why LeBron James, Nikola Jokic’s agent actually met in France');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Lakers-All-Star-LeBron-James-Nuggets-All-Star-Nikola-Jokic.jpg"><figcaption>Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Why LeBron James, Nikola Jokic’s agent actually met in France</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-30T16:36:20-07:00">July 30th, 4:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-30T16:36:20-07:00">July 30th, 4:36pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a picture of Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James and Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic alongside his agent went viral, many wondered what it all meant for the NBA’s future. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-nikola-jokics-agent-rumors-lebron-james-tease">James, Jokic, and his agent sparked curiosity</a>, including questioning whether James would ever consider teaming up with Nikola and the Nuggets. However, that wasn’t the case with Jokic’s agent, Miško Ražnatović. The three were meeting about something significantly larger.</p><p>James’ business partner, Maverick Carter, was also in the photo. With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-adam-silver-takes-major-step-toward-new-european-league">the NBA establishing a new league in Europe</a>,  the boat meeting last week in France between LeBron, Carter, and Jokic’s European agent was about the planned <a href="https://frontofficesports.com/lebron-james-not-involved-in-nba-competitor-league-effort/">international basketball league</a> being spearheaded by Carter, per Front Office Sports.</p><p>“<i>Bloomberg</i> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-16/investors-seek-5-billion-to-form-basketball-league-to-rival-nba">first reported</a> about the upcoming league, writing in January that a group of investors advised by Carter was seeking to raise $5 billion,” Front Office Sports reported. “The league’s plan is to have a touring model with six men’s and six women’s teams playing in eight cities. <i>FOS </i>reported at the time that Carter was spearheading the effort and that <a href="https://frontofficesports.com/lebron-james-not-involved-in-nba-competitor-league-effort/">James was not a part of it</a>.”</p><h2><b>Adam Silver takes step for European league after LeBron James pic</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/NBA-commissioner-Adam-Silver.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After Lakers All-Star LeBron James’ viral picture, NBA commissioner Adam Silver took a significant step in starting a new European league under the NBA’s umbrella. While many are excited over its continuous development, EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejūnas is not.</p><p>Motiejūnas’s frustration was mentioned, per Front Office Sports.</p><p>“EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejūnas is not in favor of a new NBA league. In a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6520070/2025/07/29/euroleague-nba-paulius-motiejunas-dubai/">Tuesday Q&amp;A</a> with <i>The Athletic</i>, he talked about a meeting held earlier this year between the NBA and the Euroleague, saying, “We said to them, like we said publicly, we don’t believe that the new league is something that would help the market,” Front Office Sports concluded.</p><p>LeBron James’ business partner, Maverick Carter, did not respond to requests for comment.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Why LeBron James, Nikola Jokic’s agent actually met in France

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-rumors-nick-wright-shoots-down-lebron-james-nuggets-speculation');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Nick Wright emphatically shoots down LeBron James-to-Nuggets speculation');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/LeBron-Jokic-2.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Nick Wright emphatically shoots down LeBron James-to-Nuggets speculation</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-30T07:44:01-07:00">July 30th, 7:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-30T07:44:01-07:00">July 30th, 7:44am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Speculation about Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James potentially teaming up with Nikola Jokic on the Denver Nuggets exploded. It all happened recently after Jokic’s agent, Misko Raznatovic, posted a now-deleted photo of himself on a yacht with James and LeBron’s longtime business partner, Maverick Carter. The caption, “The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2025,” sent fans into a frenzy.</p><p>Some theorized that the photo was a subtle hint of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-what-marc-stein-mavericks-warriors-knicks-lebron-james">LeBron leaving the Lakers</a> next season and orchestrating a super-team scenario with Jokic in Denver. James opted into his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season. Rumors about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-marc-stein-predicts-lebron-james-doesnt-retire-lakers">LeBron’s future have already been rampant</a>. This post added fuel to the fire.</p><h2><b>Nick Wright throws water on the LeBron James to Nuggets fire</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/LeBron-Jokic-1.jpg"><figcaption>Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>But Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright, a longtime LeBron defender and someone with known proximity to James’ camp, <a href="https://basketnews.com/news-228608-lebron-jokic-playing-together.html" rel="noopener">strongly rejected the idea</a>.</p><p>“I can report unequivocally that this tweet or Instagram caption was about LeBron playing on the Denver Nuggets next year is unequivocally 100 percent false. There is a zero percent chance that LeBron is on the Nuggets a year from now. That’s not my opinion. I know that,” declared Wright.</p><p>Wright also speculated that the yacht meeting was more likely about business than basketball. Notably, Carter is involved with a $5 billion project to launch an international basketball league. Raznatovic, who represents a large portion of European talent, could be a key figure in recruiting players for that endeavor.</p><p>While the optics of LeBron, Carter, and Jokic’s agent together raised eyebrows, Wright’s emphatic denial makes one thing clear. LeBron-to-Denver is nothing more than a fan fantasy, for now.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Nick Wright emphatically shoots down LeBron James-to-Nuggets speculation

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-nikola-jokics-agent-rumors-lebron-james-tease');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic’s agent sparks rumors with LeBron James ‘big plans’ tease');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Steve-Nash-Nikola-Jokic-mount-rushmore.jpg"><figcaption>© Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic’s agent sparks rumors with LeBron James ‘big plans’ tease</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-27T02:24:25-07:00">July 27th, 2:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-27T02:24:25-07:00">July 27th, 2:24am</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nikola Jokic has till now been a one-team star. This is despite the fact that modern NBA has seen some major teamups, and some of them have involved names like LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Now 40, James is still looking for that elusive fifth ring, and is at a crossroads with the Los Angeles Lakers. </p><p>Having taken up his player option for the upcoming season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-gets-brutally-honest-shift-big-3-era">the Lakers look determined to build around Luka Doncic</a> for the present and the future. Amidst it all, none other than the Serbian Nikola Jokic’s agent was seen hanging out with James at a picturesque destination.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DMk4VTHorgc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p></p></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DMk4VTHorgc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Miško Ražnatović (@misko4raznatovic)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>On Instagram, the Denver Nuggets’ superstar longterm agent Miško Ražnatović posted two photographs alongside LeBron James and Maverick Carter on a boat in Saint Tropez. However, the caption elevated a simple <a href="https://www.threads.com/@ramonashelburne/post/DMk7YnbR4xF/nikola-jokics-agent-misko-raznatovic-just-posted-a-photo-on-ig-that-appears-to-b" rel="noopener">vacation post into something far more sinister. </a></p><p>“The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026! @kingjames @mavcarter,” BeoBasket’s Raznatovic wrote. </p><p>LeBron James is set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the coming season. The Lakers have shown signs of wanting to move on from The King to instead focus on building around Luka Doncic. With James surely in the twilight of his career, another big move, the last of his career, may be on the cards.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This didn’t get posted by accident. <a href="https://t.co/Ng4DjXlXhv">pic.twitter.com/Ng4DjXlXhv</a></p><p>— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1949261034889658853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Considering the hue and cry surrounding his future, Nikola Jokic’s agent seemed well aware of what he was doing with the post’s caption. A potential Jokic-LeBron teammate does not only make financial sense considering the Nuggets are expected to have enough cap space in 2026. It will also be a war cry for the rest of the NBA considering two of the greatest players the league has ever seen can potentially team up together. </p><p>That in itself may force the Nuggets’ hand in the future, considering the Lakers look likely to move on and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-luka-doncic-recruiting-shows-commitment-to-la">focus on younger players who match Doncic’s timeline. </a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic’s agent sparks rumors with LeBron James ‘big plans’ tease

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-denver-plotting-intriguing-move-nikola-jokic-favored-coach');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: Denver plotting intriguing move with Nikola Jokic-favored coach');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Nuggets-All-Star-Nikola-Jokic-against-Thunder.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: Denver plotting intriguing move with Nikola Jokic-favored coach</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-21T09:21:13-07:00">July 21st, 9:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-21T09:35:53-07:00">July 21st, 9:35am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/denver-nuggets-perfect-move-in-2025-nba-offseason">continue to make waves amid NBA Free Agency</a>. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-jonas-valanciunas-fully-commits-denver-amid-panathinaikos-rumors">After landing Jonas Valanciunas</a>, they’re now turning their attention to reshaping the coaching staff for the upcoming season. One intriguing development involves Ognjen Stojakovic, a trusted confidant of Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. Denver <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-the-latest-hottest-and?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=168821876&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">plans to rotate multiple assistants</a> into the third front-of-bench role on new head coach David Adelman’s staff, as reported by Marc Stein of The Stein Line.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-denver-dirk-nowitzki-mavericks-teammate-j-j-barea-coach">With J.J. Barea already on-board</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-jared-dudley-coaching-staff">Jared Dudley joining</a> as one of the top two assistants, the third slot won’t go to a permanent hire. Instead, Denver will cycle through existing staff members based on game-to-game scouting duties. Notably, that rotation is expected to include Ognjen Stojakovic, a familiar face who holds significant sway with Jokic.</p><p>As a holdover from Michael Malone’s tenure, Stojakovic has consistently played a key behind-the-scenes role in Denver’s success. More importantly, he shares Serbian roots with the reigning MVP and maintains a strong personal bond. That connection reportedly carries considerable weight within the organization.</p><p>The decision to include Stojakovic in this strategy seems like a deliberate move by the Nuggets to keep Nikola Jokic’s inner circle intact. At the same time, it reflects the Nuggets’ ongoing effort to manage a broader coaching shuffle. Moreover, it signals that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-david-adelman-confesses-nikola-jokic-concern-next-season">Denver is proceeding carefully</a>. The team is entering a new chapter under Adelman, who, notably, earned a promotion after serving as Malone’s lead assistant.</p><p>For the Nuggets, balancing continuity with innovation has become a central theme this offseason. On one hand, bringing in new voices like Dudley and Barea, both former NBA players with championship experience, adds perspective. On the other, looping in Stojakovic ensures Jokic keeps a trusted connection on the bench, especially during key tactical stretches.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-okc-blasts-nuggets-game-7-timberwolves-wcf-showdown">The Nuggets are looking to rebound from a disappointing playoff exit</a>. These subtle but meaningful staff moves could reshape the team’s chemistry and leadership moving forward. Ultimately, with Nikola Jokic’s influence looming large, keeping a familiar voice close may prove just as valuable as any Xs and Os adjustment.</p><p>Will this hybrid coaching setup, shaped amid NBA Free Agency, spark another title run, or at the very least, keep the MVP fully locked in? Time will tell in the Mile High City.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: Denver plotting intriguing move with Nikola Jokic-favored coach

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-jonas-valanciunas-fully-commits-denver-amid-panathinaikos-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jonas Valanciunas fully commits to Nuggets after Panathinaikos rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Veteran-center-Jonas-Valanciunas.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jonas Valanciunas fully commits to Nuggets after Panathinaikos rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-21T08:37:10-07:00">July 21st, 8:37am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-21T09:55:44-07:00">July 21st, 9:55am</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After much speculation, it appears the Denver Nuggets will indeed have an experienced and intriguing center to back up superstar Nikola Jokic next season. Despite being heavily linked to Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, Jonas Valanciunas is <a href="https://x.com/Urbodo/status/1947315600931373150" rel="noopener">declaring his allegiance</a> to the team currently slated to pay his salary.</p><p>“I want to clear the air about my playing situation next season now that Denver has made their decision to keep me,” the Lithuanian big man told BasketNews.com’s Donatas Urbonas. “The idea of playing for Panathinaikos, closer to home, was very exciting to me, but that will have to wait. I am fully committed to honoring my contract with the Nuggets this season and will give it my all to compete for a championship.”</p><p>This is huge news for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-denver-has-no-concerns-about-jonas-valanciunas-situation">a Denver team that handpicked Valanciunas</a> to occupy a valuable spot on its bench. With top free-agent big man <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-rumors-marc-stein-insists-dubs-will-sign-these-2-players-free-agency">Al Horford expected to head out West</a>, the reshaped front office probably did not have an appealing alternative on the table if the 33-year-old decided to play overseas. Nuggets fans can now breathe a little easier and revel in an active and potentially difference-making offseason.</p><p>While Denver’s headlining move of the summer is undoubtedly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-films-goodbye-nets-trade">trading Michael Porter Jr.</a> and a future first-round draft pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson, the organization also added crucial depth to its bench. Signing Tim Hardaway Jr. and old friend Bruce Brown Jr. adds supplemental scoring and versatility, respectively, but one cannot overlook the importance of acquiring Jonas Valanciunas.</p><h2><b>Nuggets need a big-man boost behind their cornerstone</b></h2><p>The Nuggets’ offense was historically feeble when 2023 Finals MVP and future Hall of Famer Nikola Jokic was off the floor, and a lack of frontcourt reinforcements was part of the reason why. Although DeAndre Jordan served his role, he can only do so much at this stage of his career. This squad could use someone who can pack an offensive punch inside while the Serbian juggernaut is resting. If his track record holds true, Valanciunas should be up to the task.</p><p>The No. 5 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft averaged 10.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game across his time with the Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings last season. He is inconsistent on defense, but this veteran center can still exert a strong post presence and ease some of Jokic’s massive burden.</p><p>Denver’s supporting cast has been a popular taking point since it won the championship. A thin second unit has struggled to boost the team to its top-tier past, and executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer and executive vice president of player personnel Jon Wallace seemingly believe that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-denver-pushing-jonas-valanciunas-trade-kings">trading for Valanciunas</a> can help solve that glaring issue.</p><p>Considering the Nuggets pushed the eventual championship-winning Oklahoma City Thunder to a Game 7 in the Western Conference Semifinals, it is plausible to think that they are now better equipped to vie for another NBA crown. Jonas Valanciunas may think the same following his latest decision to stay in the Mile High City.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jonas Valanciunas fully commits to Nuggets after Panathinaikos rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/nba-rumors-rival-exec-hits-lakers-nuggets-warning-luka-doncic');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rival exec hits Lakers with Nuggets warning for Luka Doncic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Luka-Doncic-of-the-Los-Angeles-Lakers-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rival exec hits Lakers with Nuggets warning for Luka Doncic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-16T15:25:57-07:00">July 16th, 3:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-17T14:15:35-07:00">July 17th, 2:15pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Rumors are running rampant across the NBA with the offseason in full swing. There is already speculation that LeBron James <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-rich-paul-fumed-lebron-james-luka-doncic-power-shift-kendrick-perkins">could leave the Los Angeles Lakers</a> soon, but now the shift is focusing on Luka Doncic. One rival executive stirred the pot on Wednesday when claiming the Denver Nuggets are a team to keep an eye on in regards to Doncic.</p><p>From the sounds of it, with the Lakers more inclined to be building for competition in 2026 and beyond, a rival executive believes that the 26-year-old guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/sources-lakers-nba-positioning-luka-doncic-nikola-jokic-giannis-antetokounmpo-moves">could be intrigued by the Nugget</a>s in the coming years, according to insider Anthony Irwin.</p><p>“The Lakers have to be careful,” a West executive told ClutchPoints. “Luka just got his butt kicked by a team he handled easily last year, and now they’re telling him to wait another year before he can really compete.</p><p>“If Denver wins it all or comes close while Rob [Pelinka] makes it clear he doesn’t believe in Luka and LeBron as a combo, they could be a real threat for him this next season or two.”</p><p>Championships talk, and the Nuggets are in line to be one of the most competitive teams next season, especially after the acquisitions, the front office made to improve the depth of the roster. Meanwhile, rumors continue to suggest the Lakers are focusing more on building right now and trying to compete in the 2026-27 season instead.</p><p>All things considered, these are simply rumors for now. Luka Doncic has not voiced any frustrations about the Lakers. If anything, the rival NBA executive is being more observational than not.</p><p>Although the belief is that Los Angeles is in a mini-rebuild, the roster still stacks up well with the rest of the league. Doncic and James <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/doncilu01.html" rel="noopener">form a powerful duo</a>, and the front office managed to sign Deandre Ayton to step in as the starting center. Additionally, Austin Reaves will likely continue playing at a high level and serve as a strong third option for the Lakers’ offense.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rival exec hits Lakers with Nuggets warning for Luka Doncic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-marc-stein-responds-jonas-valanciunas-comments-panathinaikos-owner');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: Marc Stein responds to Jonas Valanciunas comments from Panathinaikos owner');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Valanciunas-during-a-game.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: Marc Stein responds to Jonas Valanciunas comments from Panathinaikos owner</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-13T10:27:27-07:00">July 13th, 10:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-13T10:27:27-07:00">July 13th, 10:27am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s been an interesting couple of weeks<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-insider-drops-jonas-valanciunas-contract-prediction"> for the Denver Nuggets</a> and their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-when-jonas-valanciunas-trade-expected-become-official">trade target Jona Valanciunas</a>. The Nuggets initially traded Dario Saric to the Kings in exchange for Valanciunas, but then it was reported by multiple sources that Valanciunas was planning to take his talents to Europe in order to play overseas instead.</p><p>In the wake of some recent comments from the Panathinaikos owner regarding the situation, NBA insider Marc Stein attempted to <a href="https://x.com/Eurohoopsnet/status/1944299201590132833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1944299201590132833%7Ctwgr%5Ede6c05d1871c446eb13d5d4f183b920a5bc3b70e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhoopshype.com%2Frumors%2F" rel="noopener">provide some clarity</a> for Nuggets fans.</p><p>“I saw the owner of Panathinaikos this week saying that Jonas wants to be in Greece, but we need to hear that from Valanciunas… I think he’s going to be a Nuggets player, I really do,” said Stein, per Eurohoops on X, formerly Twitter (via DNVR Sports).</p><p>Fans of the Nuggets would certainly like for Valaciunas to be a member of their team as well. Valanciunas appeared to be the final piece of what had been a highly successful offseason for the Denver franchise.</p><p>First, the Nuggets swung a trade that sent Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Cam Thomas. Then, the team signed former champion guard Bruce Brown as well as sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr. to reasoanble contracts in free agency.</p><p>By adding Valanciunas, it appeared that the team had shored up the backup center position, which had been a bit of a question mark in recent seasons as DeAndre Jordan continues to age.</p><p>However, the Valaciunas to Greece rumors hung a cloud over that rumored trade, one that still has yet to be fully resolved. However, if Stein’s report is any indication, it appears that a resolution could be coming sooner rather than later.</p><p>Valanciunas would provide the Nuggets with competent center production in the minutes that three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic is on the bench, which is something the Nuggets have desperately been after for a while now.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: Marc Stein responds to Jonas Valanciunas comments from Panathinaikos owner

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-insider-drops-jonas-valanciunas-contract-prediction');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: Insider drops ‘100%’ Jonas Valanciunas contract prediction');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Jonas-Valanciunas-17-against-the-Phoenix-Suns-at-Footprint-Center.jpg"><figcaption>© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: Insider drops ‘100%’ Jonas Valanciunas contract prediction</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-09T10:00:40-07:00">July 9th, 10:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-09T10:00:40-07:00">July 9th, 10:00am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jonas Valanciunas appears increasingly likely to remain with the Denver Nuggets, following new comments from Altitude TV’s Vic Lombardi suggesting the veteran center will stay and have the second year of his contract fully guaranteed.</p><p>According to a report from Eurohoops, Lombardi said <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/1846585/jonas-valanciunas-denver-nuggets-nba-panathinaikos/" rel="noopener">during a recent appearance</a> on Altitude SR 92.5 that the Nuggets are confident Valanciunas will suit up for the team this upcoming season, despite speculation that he may depart for Europe.</p><p>“The Nuggets believe he will play here and time will heal,” the show stated.</p><p>When asked whether Valanciunas would remain in Denver if his second-year team option is guaranteed, Lombardi responded emphatically: “100%, because this will give him stability.”</p><p>Valanciunas, 33, was acquired earlier this offseason in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-why-jonas-valanciunas-trade-cant-happen-yet">trade with the Sacramento Kings that sent forward Dario Saric</a> to California. He is under contract through the 2025–26 season and is set to make $10.4 million. The deal includes a $10 million team option for 2026–27, which Denver may now fully guarantee to ensure roster continuity and provide Valanciunas with added security.</p><p>Eurohoops noted that while Lombardi expressed confidence in Valanciunas’ future with the Nuggets, the broadcast also included commentary that appeared dismissive of Panathinaikos Athens, the EuroLeague club that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-obvious-reason-nuggets-block-jonas-valanciunas-greece-move">reportedly extended a lucrative three-year offer</a> to the Lithuanian big man.</p><p>“It has to be noted that the tone of the show was more than insulting to Panathinaikos,” Eurohoops wrote, “with Lombardi not pronouncing the name of the EuroLeague powerhouse the right way and a couple of inaccurate racial stereotypes being reproduced.”</p><h2><b>Jonas Valanciunas addresses rumors as insider predicts he’ll remain with Nuggets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Denver-Nuggets-center-Jonas-Valanciunas.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Valanciunas has not publicly confirmed his NBA plans, but he spoke to reporters during the 2025 B8 Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, offering a measured response to the rumors surrounding his next move.</p><p>“You can say anything. A lot has already been said, all kinds of thoughts. The bubble burst, and everyone shared what everyone thought. We’ll only find out when the first game is played. Everything will be clear,” he said.</p><p>Later, Lombardi took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to clarify his remarks and the Eurohoops coverage.</p><p>“This report has not been verified or confirmed,” Lombardi posted. “But I’m fairly confident Jonas will be in Denver later this month.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">this report has not been verified or confirmed. but i’m fairly confident Jonas will be in Denver later this month. <a href="https://t.co/wWGjbXZ9Em">https://t.co/wWGjbXZ9Em</a></p><p>— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) <a href="https://twitter.com/VicLombardi/status/1942962388388462705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Valanciunas spent last season with the Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings, averaging 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. Across his 13-year NBA career, he has averaged 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest, with stints on five different teams.</p><p>Denver, coming off a second-round playoff exit to the eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games, added Valanciunas to bolster its frontcourt rotation. If the second year of his contract is indeed guaranteed, Valanciunas would likely fill a key backup role behind Jokic and provide veteran stability in the paint.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: Insider drops ‘100%’ Jonas Valanciunas contract prediction

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-the-guarantee-panathinaikos-received-amid-jonas-valanciunas-saga');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: The guarantee Panathinaikos received amid Jonas Valanciunas saga');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Jonas-Valanciunas_61a71a.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: The guarantee Panathinaikos received amid Jonas Valanciunas saga</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-08T20:28:33-07:00">July 8th, 8:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-08T20:28:33-07:00">July 8th, 8:28pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It appeared as though the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-jonas-valanciunas-adds-more-mystery-denver-status-trade">Denver Nuggets were finally able to address</a> their longstanding lack of a quality backup center, but after their trade for Jonas Valanciunas with the Sacramento Kings was reported, news of his desire to return to Europe and play for Panathinaikos came out.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-denver-jonas-valanciunas-contract-decision-kings-trade">Nuggets have already put their feet down</a> and said that they intend to keep Valanciunas and have him honor his contract, which runs for two more seasons at around $10.2 million a year. And while Valanciunas is back in his home country of Lithuania at the moment, which only adds more fuel to the fire of the rumors that he’s signing with Panathinaikos, the Nuggets are not budging.</p><p>But it doesn’t appear as though it was Panathinaikos that approached Valanciunas with the possibility of him foregoing the final few years of his NBA contract to return to Europe. According to George Zakkas of SDNA, it was Valanciunas’ camp <a href="https://www.sdna.gr/news-english/1328191_truth-about-valanciunas-release-guarantee-panathinaikos-stance-and-nuggets" rel="noopener">that gave</a> Panathinaikos a “guarantee” that he would be released from his NBA contract despite not communicating this with the Nuggets brass.</p><p>This in turn has caused a state of confusion for both Panathinaikos and the Nuggets, two teams that would want nothing more than to have Valanciunas play for them next season. On the one hand, it’s rather ballsy from Valanciunas’ representatives to guarantee anything without coordinating this desire of theirs to their parent NBA team.</p><p>Maybe Valanciunas’ representatives were not anticipating a trade to the Nuggets and instead would have found it easier to strike an agreement with the Kings. But the Nuggets are not going to let Valanciunas go without a fight.</p><h2><b>Will Jonas Valanciunas let go of a guaranteed $20 million from the Nuggets?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Jonas-Valanciunas-in-action.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>At this point, the only reasonable compromise that Valanciunas and his camp can strike with the Nuggets should he desperately want to play for Panathinaikos is that he’ll give up the entirety of the $20.4 million <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/8055/jonas-valanciunas" rel="noopener">he’s still owed</a> over the next two seasons.</p><p>Alas, that is such a big amount of money to give up; the <a href="https://basketnews.com/news-212201-top-10-highest-paid-euroleague-players.html" rel="noopener">highest-paid player</a> in the Euroleague last season, Sasha Vezenkov, made a relatively paltry $4.3 million (3.7 million Euros), according to Basketnews. At best, Valanciunas is about to give up around $11 or so million provided that Panathinaikos gives him a contract similar to that of Vezenkov’s.</p><p>Maybe Valanciunas is done playing backup minutes for any team, and there’s no shot he’s going to start for the Nuggets other than in games where Nikola Jokic isn’t present. And perhaps having the chance to star for a team is worth the millions of dollars he’s going to give up in any potential move to the Greek giants.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: The guarantee Panathinaikos received amid Jonas Valanciunas saga

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-will-nikola-jokic-sign-206-million-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: Will Nikola Jokic sign $206 million contract extension?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Nuggets-Nikola-Jokic-in-warmup.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: Will Nikola Jokic sign $206 million contract extension?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-08T08:55:32-07:00">July 8th, 8:55am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-08T08:55:32-07:00">July 8th, 8:55am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nikola Jokic has a big decision to make about his future with the Denver Nuggets. Although nobody expects the three-time NBA MVP ever to leave Denver, he finds himself in a unique situation since he is now <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-brian-windhorst-ponder-nikola-jokic-contract-extension-risk">eligible for a massive contract extension</a> with the Nuggets in the midst of free agency.</p><p>The Nuggets have done a lot for themselves this offseason. Aside from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-trade-bombshell-cam-johnson-deal">trading Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for Cam Johnson</a>, Denver’s new front office, led by Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace, also expanded on the Nuggets’ depth with the additions of Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas.</p><p>Now, the organization turns its attention to Jokic’s future, as he is now eligible to receive a new three-year, $212 million max contract extension.</p><p>However, since he has three more years left on his current contract and with cap numbers across the league continuing to increase, it doesn’t appear that there is any rush to get a new deal done. Before the start of free agency, Josh Kroenke, the team’s president and governor, <a href="https://x.com/Shapalicious/status/1937574690047893627" rel="noopener">made it clear</a> that the team would put the ball in Jokic’s court regarding an extension.</p><p>“I’m not sure if he’s going to accept it or not because we’re also going to explain every financial parameter around him signing now versus signing later,” Kroenke said in June before the 2025 NBA Draft. “To be completely transparent, that’s the way we always are, and he makes the best decision for himself and his family, and we’ll support him in it.”</p><p>No matter how you view Jokic’s situation, everyone can agree that he deserves to be the highest-paid player in the NBA.</p><p>Jokic has been the best player in the league this decade, and alone is the reason why Denver has a chance to win a title every season. Contract value won’t be a question for the Nuggets, but there is no certainty that Jokic wants to sign a new contract right now.</p><p>Either way, Jokic is going to get exactly what he wants in a new contract regarding a player option, trade kicker, and guaranteed money. If there was any player to be given a full no-trade clause again, it would be Jokic, yet it’s likely teams won’t be giving those out again.</p><h2><b>Nikola Jokic’s contract extension decision</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Denver-Nuggets-center-Nikola-Jokic-1.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Jokic could just sign right now and lock himself into $326 million through the 2029-30 season, waiting until next year gives the superstar a chance to maximize on the salary cap increases.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/shai-gilgeous-alexanders-285-million-thunder-contract-extension-becomes-largest-in-nba-history">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recently just signed a four-year, $285 million</a> max contract extension that gives him the richest annual salary for a player in league history. Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-devin-booker-talks-ridiculous-150-million-contract-extension">expected to finalize a two-year, $150 million contract extension</a> that would make him the highest-paid player in terms of annual salary.</p><p>The NBA salary cap continues to increase, directly resulting in these players’ contracts rapidly rising. Should he hold off on an immediate extension this offseason, Jokic could be next in line to sign a historic contract extension like Gilgeous-Alexander and Booker.</p><p>If Jokic waits until next offseason, he will be eligible for a four-year extension that gives him a higher salary and more guaranteed money. That is why there is no guarantee that he will sign an extension right now this summer.</p><p>The Nuggets will present Jokic with the max extension he is eligible for this offseason, but he is the one who will need to make the ultimate decision. Jokic has until the start of the 2025-26 season to decide on this possible extension, as he won’t be eligible to sign one again once the season starts until July 1, 2026.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: Will Nikola Jokic sign $206 million contract extension?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-why-jonas-valanciunas-trade-cant-happen-yet');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: Why Jonas Valanciunas trade can’t happen yet');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Jonas-Valanciunas.jpg"><figcaption>© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: Why Jonas Valanciunas trade can’t happen yet</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-07T23:01:39-07:00">July 7th, 11:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-07T23:01:39-07:00">July 7th, 11:01pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets have had an A-plus offseason thus far, but that hasn’t come without its fair share of trials and tribulations. One such issue that the Nuggets are hoping for a resolution to as soon as possible is the Jonas Valanciunas situation. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-denver-pushing-jonas-valanciunas-trade-kings">Valanciunas is set to be acquired by the Nuggets</a> in a trade with the Sacramento Kings, with Dario Saric headed to the West Coast.</p><p>Alas, Valanciunas is seriously debating whether or not to sign with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, which would leave the Nuggets with no backup center. This has put a serious damper on Denver’s excellent wheeling and dealing thus far this offseason, and clouds their immediate future with so much uncertainty.</p><p>Nonetheless, NBA insider Marc Stein clarified that the Nuggets <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1942405987849142618" rel="noopener">haven’t yet</a> finalized their trade with the Kings for Valanciunas. But it’s not because they’re having cold feet. Instead, Denver is preferring to do the Valanciunas trade separate from the Cam Johnson-Michael Porter Jr. deal with the Brooklyn Nets so they can remain under the first apron and maintain flexibility for potential future deals.</p><p>All indications point to the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-denver-jonas-valanciunas-contract-decision-kings-trade">Nuggets finalizing the Valanciunas trade soon</a>. They made a statement saying that they intend to honor their agreement with the Kings and to do whatever it is they can to keep Valanciunas even amid strong interest from Panathinaikos.</p><p>The Nuggets may play hardball with Valanciunas and ask him to give up the entirety of his contract should he decide to return to Europe. Will Valanciunas be able to stomach losing the <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/8055/jonas-valanciunas" rel="noopener">entire $20.4 million</a> left on his contract for the next two seasons? That is such a huge amount to completely forego that Valanciunas will need to have a good think before making his next career move.</p><h2><b>Jonas Valanciunas would be the perfect backup center for the Nuggets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Jonas-Valanciunas_61a71a.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>For years, the Nuggets have been in desperate search of a backup center who could allow the Nuggets to remain afloat even when Nikola Jokic is resting on the bench. DeAndre Jordan isn’t it anymore at this juncture of his career, Zeke Nnaji is not long for the NBA if he keeps this up, while DaRon Holmes II injured his Achilles last year. Saric, meanwhile, looked washed last season.</p><p>Valanciunas, meanwhile, showed that he’s still a double-double machine when given minutes. He’s a bruising interior presence, a sturdy cleaner on the glass, and he has a deft touch from up close. And it would be a damn shame for the Nuggets if they’re not able to keep him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: Why Jonas Valanciunas trade can’t happen yet

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-obvious-reason-nuggets-block-jonas-valanciunas-greece-move');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: 1 ‘obvious’ reason Denver wants to block Jonas Valanciunas’ Greece move');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jonas-Valanciunas.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: 1 ‘obvious’ reason Denver wants to block Jonas Valanciunas’ Greece move</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-06T09:09:49-07:00">July 6th, 9:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-06T09:10:12-07:00">July 6th, 9:10am</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets find themselves embroiled in one of the most intriguing stories of the NBA offseason <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-denver-pushing-jonas-valanciunas-trade-kings">with their pursuit of Jonas Valanciunas</a>. While the Lithuanian veteran is eyeing a contract with EuroLeague giant Panathinaikos, he is still under an NBA contract and cannot sign unless released by the Nuggets.</p><p>Valanciunas met with Panathinaikos officials this weekend and is reportedly eyeing a $12 million deal with the Greek side. This comes after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-jonas-valanciunas-denver-future-in-jeopardy-amid-euroleague-move">Denver was poised to land him as Nikola Jokic’s backup</a> after agreeing to a swap with the Sacramento Kings for Dario Saric. While the Nuggets view Valanciunas as the ideal Jokic backup, the Kings need Saric’s reduced salary in order to see through the Dennis Schroder acquisition they have already agreed upon.</p><p>In addition to him being seen as the ideal fit, the Nuggets <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-lots-of-fresh-nba-free?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=167647434&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">also seem hard-pressed due to the lack of alternatives</a>, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Valanciunas potentially forfeiting even all of his $10.4 million salary would unlock Denver’s $14.1 million mid-level exception, but the pickings are slim.</p><p>The Nuggets could potentially offer Al Horford a one-year deal. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/warriors-rumors-marc-stein-al-horford-pursuit">Horford is expected to join the Golden State Warriors</a> despite Dub Nation only having the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level left to offer him, with no other attractive pivots available to Denver. This has led to the Nuggets officials being currently determined to enforce Valanciunas’ contract and see him join the roster for next season, per Stein.</p><p>This is despite the player seemingly wanting to sign this three-year deal with Panathinaikos, who have already promised a celebratory reception at Athens’ Eleftherios Venizelos Airport in around 10 days. A similar situation had played out before Sasha Vezenkov’s transfer to Olympiacos last July. </p><p>The player had acquired the requisite letter of clearance after forfeiting his entire salary for the 2024-25 season, an option which remains available to Valanciunas as well. However, it is up to the Nuggets to accept, as things stand, they look poised to enforce the contract. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: 1 ‘obvious’ reason Denver wants to block Jonas Valanciunas’ Greece move

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-insider-warns-fans-luxury-tax');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: Insider warns fans about luxury tax');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Nuggets-insider-warns-fans-luxury-tax.jpg"><figcaption>© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: Insider warns fans about luxury tax</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-01T08:45:52-07:00">July 1st, 8:45am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-01T08:45:52-07:00">July 1st, 8:45am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-josh-kroenke-bizarrely-mentions-nikola-jokic-trade-scenario">Denver Nuggets ownership </a>has been criticized heavily, particularly over the past few seasons, for a perceived lack of interest in spending money. But one team insider is saying that it might be in the team’s best interest, not just the owners’, to avoid dipping into the luxury tax this season.</p><p>Although the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nba-rumors-mistake-nuggets-made-with-kentavious-caldwell-pope">Nuggets controversially let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope</a> walk in free agency a year ago, the Nuggets paid a little more than $200 million total for their roster this past season, according to Spotrac. The players’ deals themselves cost about $182 million, but Denver paid around $20 million in luxury tax, which ranked seventh in the NBA.</p><p>Following the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-cam-johnson-new-beginning-message-trade">trade for Cam Johnson</a>, though, ALLCITY’s Adam Mares <a href="https://x.com/Adam_Mares/status/1939899392145731819" rel="noopener">said it could</a> behoove the Nuggets to avoid paying the tax this year.</p><p>“Nuggets fans won’t love this but it may be wise for the Nuggets to stay below the tax this season and avoid the repeater,” Mares posted on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“Doesn’t mean they are done making moves. But they were almost certainly going to try to get below the tax this year or next.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">If healthy, this roster will contend. And resetting the repeater tax would open up a new window for the Nuggets to enter the tax in the following seasons. </p><p>Can they maneuver to add a backup C without going over? Do they need more than that?</p><p>— Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) <a href="https://twitter.com/Adam_Mares/status/1939899392145731819?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>In subsequent posts, Mares suggested that they could use other “maneuvers” to keep adding talent while not adding to their payroll, which ESPN’s Bobby Marks projected to be less than $2 million below the luxury tax line of $187.8 million. Potential options to stay under the tax this season are waiving and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-dario-saric-5-4-million-contract-decision-free-agency">stretching Dario Saric’s $5.4 million salary</a> over three seasons, trading the likes of Peyton Watson for a slightly cheaper option, like the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/players/bdfe09ce/cam-whitmore"> Houston Rockets’ Cam Whitmore</a>, or, in a perfect world, trading Zeke Nnaji, who will make $8.2 million this year.</p><p>Marks, in response to Mares’ initial post, said, “You have the $5.7M tax ML if needed. But I would be surprised if Denver pays the tax.”</p><p>While the Kroenke family is always able to pay it if it wants, avoiding the tax this year at least would help in driving down costs in subsequent years as well. Being a ‘repeater’ in the luxury tax brings with it not only the upfront cost of paying more than most teams, but it also carries even steeper financial penalties for every dollar spent over the tax threshold.</p><p>This offseason, the Nuggets have already<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/grading-nets-michael-porter-jr-cam-johnson-trade-nuggets"> added Johnson (via a trade for Michael Porter Jr.</a>) and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-denver-signs-former-champion-michael-porter-jr-trade">returning Bruce Brown.</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Denver
Nuggets RUMORS

DENVER

NUGGETS

DenverNuggets RUMORS

DENVER

NUGGETS

Denver
Nuggets RUMORS