The Denver Nuggets are facing uncertainty regarding their backup center position as Jonas Valanciunas contemplates a lucrative offer to return to EuroLeague. After acquiring Valanciunas from Sacramento, hopes were high for enhancing Nikola Jokic's minutes management. However, Valanciunas, under a $10.4M NBA contract for the upcoming season, is considering a three-year, $13M deal from Panathinaikos. The league won’t finalize the trade until Sunday, complicating matters further.

The Nuggets might not rescind the trade, as it alleviated salary burdens from Dario Saric while providing a valuable rotation player in Valanciunas. While the Nuggets hope to convince Valanciunas to stay, finding another capable center in a depleted market poses a challenge. With limited options like Al Horford and Chris Boucher, Denver is aware of the high stakes involved.