If you listened closely to Ben Tenzer’s recent media appearance, you could hear the sound of him talking about literally every Nuggets move except the one everyone wanted to know about—Jonas Valančiūnas. The Denver Nuggets’ Vice President had no trouble breaking down why Cam Johnson is basically the basketball version of a Swiss Army knife, or why Bruce Brown’s return felt like reuniting with your favorite ex who never really messed up. But when it came to Denver’s not-so-secret backup center acquisition? Crickets. And it’s not like we weren’t listening. Nuggets fans everywhere were practically leaning into their screens like LeBron squinting at a stat sheet.

Let’s give Ben Tenzer some credit—he was on his A-game when it came to media charm. “Cam’s obviously a great player, a wonderful person, and we feel like he’ll add a lot to the Nuggets organization,” he said when asked about the MPJ-Cam Johnson trade. “I think just his shooting, number one, off ball is incredible. His defense also, but I think IQ is a big thing… and I think he checks all those boxes.”

Then came the Bruce Brown reunion: “Bruce is a Nugget legend,” Tenzer declared. “Amazing on offense, on defense, tons of energy, and just a great person to have with us again.”

Even Tim Hardaway Jr. got his flowers: “Elite shooter. He’ll just add to the depth of our team. Offense and shooting, probably the main two things.”

All of it was sunshine and good vibes—until Jonas Valančiūnas’ name came up. Or rather, didn’t. But it wasn’t just a case of fans being nosy. The reported trade sending Valančiūnas from Sacramento to Denver in exchange for Dario Šarić is still not finalized. According to Marc Stein, the delay was mostly due to sequencing: Denver needed to finalize the Michael Porter Jr.–Cam Johnson trade first. Once that paperwork clears (expected by this weekend), the Valančiūnas deal can proceed.

Yet, even that doesn’t clear things up entirely.

What’s the deal with Jonas Valančiūnas?

By now, most Nuggets fans know the headline: Denver reportedly worked out a trade to acquire Jonas Valančiūnas from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Dario Saric. On paper, it was a clean win. Saric was collecting dust on the bench like an unopened pack of Upper Deck trading cards, while Valančiūnas has been quietly averaging near double-doubles in 20 minutes a night like it’s no big deal.

The goal? Give Jokic an actual backup. But then came the Euro twist: Jonas Valančiūnas flew to Athens to meet with EuroLeague powerhouse Panathinaikos, who dangled a multi-year, tax-free deal worth more than what he’d net in Denver. Panathinaikos’ owner, Dimitrios Giannakopoulos, even hopped on Instagram Live to air his frustration: “We want to sign him. He wants to come to us. But if his team doesn’t say yes, what can we do?”

Then Valančiūnas gave a cryptic interview to Eurohoops.net, saying: “You can say anything. A lot has already been said, all kinds of thoughts. The bubble burst… We’ll only find out when the first game is played. Everything will be clear.” He added that once the trade is official, he’ll sit down with the Nuggets, undergo medicals, and go from there — which, if you’re Denver, is not the most reassuring thing to hear from your newly acquired backup big man.

Still, The Denver Post reports the Nuggets fully expect Valančiūnas to honor his $10.4M guaranteed contract. For now, he’s on their books, and walking away from that would mean leaving a massive paycheck behind. Not even the EuroLeague comes with that kind of cash.

And make no mistake: Denver wants him. They’ve lacked a reliable backup for Nikola Jokić since Mason Plumlee. The past few seasons have featured a mix of 34-year-old DeAndre Jordan, small-ball stretches with Aaron Gordon at center, and the “let Jokić play 42 minutes” strategy. None of that’s sustainable.

Valančiūnas might not be Jokic-lite, but he offers real rebounding, toughness, and a legitimate interior presence. In fact, Coach David Adelman even called him a “point center” during ESPN’s Summer League broadcast: “You can play combo guards. You don’t need a lead point guard… He shoots the ball better than most people realize.” With Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. boosting their secondary ball-handling and spacing, adding a center like Jonas Valančiūnas gives them depth. 

The plan? Let Valančiūnas operate from the elbow, run dribble handoffs, and serve as a poor man’s Jokic when the actual Joker is catching a breather. It’s smart, and it leans on Jonas’ underrated playmaking. The only thing more underrated might be his three-point shot—where he’s hit a not-so-nice 28.7% over the past two seasons.

Still, if Valančiūnas is willing, Denver finally has a competent Plan B at the 5. Compared to past backups like Jordan and Zeke Nnaji’s disappearing act, Jonas is practically prime Pau Gasol. The situation remains in limbo. Valančiūnas reportedly told Lithuanian media he plans to travel to Denver later this summer—but that’s still pending the trade going through officially. And the longer Denver holds off making it final, the louder Panathinaikos fans will shout “OPA!” in hopes he returns to Europe.

“We feel very excited about where we’re at,” Tenzer said. “We can kind of take a deep breath and just assess Summer League.” Sure, Ben. Deep breath all you want—but Nuggets Nation isn’t exhaling until they see Jonas Valančiūnas in a powder blue jersey setting a screen for Jamal Murray. Until then, we’ll be refreshing Woj’s Twitter feed, watching Panathinaikos’ Instagram lives, and hoping Denver’s backup plan doesn’t turn into another punchline. Because in this city, we’ve had enough “almosts.”

And one thing’s for sure—if Jonas Valančiūnas ever shows up to Ball Arena, expect a standing ovation… and maybe a gyro cart outside the tunnel.