Nuggets Journal: Ben Tenzer has ‘no concerns’ about Jonas Valanciunas’ status
As Jonas Valanciunas gears up for a summer of international hoops the Nuggets aren t sure exactly when or where they ll see him in person next But the one absolute certainty is that he will be with the company when the season tips off Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer declared Friday that he has no concerns about the status of Valanciunas a sentiment echoed by executive VP of player personnel Jon Wallace We ve had great conversations with him Tenzer declared and there s been nothing but healthy conversations in terms of him honoring his contract and him being excited to be a Nugget Numerous club functionaries have spoken with Valanciunas at this point including front office personnel and head coach David Adelman The feeling around the squad is that Valanciunas has been amicable and cooperative about playing in Denver despite ongoing speculation regarding his willingness to stay in the NBA after receiving a contract offer from Panathinaikos News of the Greek club s interest in him emerged after the Nuggets acquired Valanciunas in a commerce with the Sacramento Kings this month The Lithuanian big man is under contract in the NBA for at least the - season and Denver has remained steadfast that he ll be held to that In order for him to sign with a EuroLeague crew he would first be required to negotiate a release from his NBA contract The Nuggets traded for him not to buy him out but to use him as Nikola Jokic s backup center We re still working through that right now Wallace revealed Friday when solicited about plans to get Valanciunas to Denver Complicating matters somewhat is EuroBasket the European championship tournament beginning in late August Valanciunas will be competing for Lithuania where he has already released for national club training camp There is a possibility that Denver will have someone in Europe to see him during the tournament Jokic is also widely expected to compete for Serbia However the logistics are sorted out across continents all signs point to a peaceful outcome to this uncommon dilemma reinforced by Tenzer s first comments made to independent media about it on Friday Related Articles Renck Only one way for Nuggets to handle Jonas Valanciunas drama Play hard ball Nuggets Mailbag Nikola Jokic s future Christian Braun s extension value and more Jonas Valanciunas chatter Nuggets Podcast Nikola Jokic passes on extension Jonas Valanciunas visits Greece and DaRon Holmes II makes Summer League return Nuggets vs Raptors Summer League takeaways Denver can t handle ball pressure in loss to Toronto David Adelman on Jonas Valanciunas Nuggets offseason moves Second unit an open competition Open roster spot With Valanciunas Cam Johnson Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr officially joining the gang Denver still has one open roster spot that it can choose whether or not to fill But when Tenzer was appealed if he feels any pressure to address that before training camp in September he indicated that he might feel reassured leaving it open I wouldn t say there s pressure We re going to be individual right now Tenzer stated We feel really good about where the roster s at And if we feel like it s key to add a th we will But no pressure right now Teams are required to carry at least players during the season but there are anticipated benefits to leaving the final spot open The Nuggets payroll is only above the luxury tax line They still have access to a portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception If they aren t in love with any remaining free agents they can maintain the flexibility to pursue a participant on the buyout arena in February or March Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis
