The Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings struck a deal on the second day of NBA free agency and trade madness. Jonas Valančiūnas will go to Denver, while Dario Šarić is on his way to Sacramento. It's a simple one-for-one swap, which is harmless enough on the surface. Though I will say... Sacramento, WYD?
The Sacramento Kings are trading Jonas Valanciunas to the Denver Nuggets for Dario Saric, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/D2Xmbm4DN1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2025
One can never fully grasp the internal machinations of the Kings front office, which is now led by Scott Perry after the De'Aaron Fox debacle spelled the end of Monte McNair's tenure. McNair was probably the first competent voice in Sacramento's front office in a decade, so naturally he was forced out as soon as the weight of ownership's hand unbalanced the scales.
Kings trade Jonas Valačiūnas to Nuggets for Dario Šarić in odd swap
Šarić, 31, is a perfectly adequate backup center when healthy. He's more of a stretch four or small-ball five than a proper interior anchor, but Šarić is a proficient 3-point shooter with fun passing chops and legitimate handles at 6-foot-10. He can pummel smaller defenders in the post, dance around slow-footed bigs in face up scenarios and thrive out of pick-and-pops with new Sacramento point guard Dennis Schröder. Sure, whatever.
That said... Denver feels like the clear winner here. Šarić spent most of last season dealing with injuries and he's a substantial defensive liability, especially in Sacramento, where his primary frontcourt running mates will be Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan. Valančiūnas is far from perfect, but he was starting games in New Orleans a year ago and he's one of the NBA's better backup fives.
It's a bit silly to ascribe "stylistic similarities" to Nikola Jokić, but Valančiūnas can help Denver maintain some consistency between the first and second unit offense. Valančiūnas won't throw teammates open like Jokić, but he can post around the elbow and operate as a DHO partner with Denver's guards and occasionally slip a pass to the backdoor cutter. Valančiūnas is a punishing post scorer and a legitimate floor-spacer at the five spot. Pair that with the now-healthy DaRon Holmes, an athletic rim-runner and shot-blocker, and Denver has a couple different stylistic options behind Jokić at the five spot.
The financial elements of this trade are worth noting. Šarić will be an expiring contract in Sacramento, whereas Valančiūnas is under contract through 2026-27 at roughly $10 million annually. Šarić recently picked up his player option for $5.4 million, so the Kings do save money short and long term. Fair enough. Sacramento also potentially opens up minutes for second-round pick Maxime Raynaud, whose skill set overlaps with Valančiūnas.
Are the Kings better or worse? Not really. This feels like a lateral move at best, a slight downgrade at worst. Šarić is an awkward fit given the roster's chronic defensive limitations, but alas, he's good enough offensively to potentially win fans over. Denver is taking on a bit more money, but this team is deeper and far more talented than it was a few short days ago. The post-Calvin Booth era is off to a blazing start.