The Denver Nuggets and Jonas Valanciunas are about to be locked in a staredown.
Denver agreed to a trade for Valanciunas, the veteran center, earlier this week.
Then reports came out that Valanciunas had been offered a multi-year contract by Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos.
The trade to the Nuggets hasn't officially gone through yet. The NBA's transaction moratorium period lifts Sunday.
But NBA insider Marc Stein has new information: The Nuggets plan to go through with the trade.
"The Nuggets are going ahead with their trade for Jonas Valančiūnas on Sunday and remain determined to keep the veteran big man they hope to install as their backup to Nikola Jokić," Stein writes.
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As Stein alludes to, this is a crucial pickup. The Nuggets need someone productive in the non-Jokic minutes, which is a period of the game they normally get crushed.
If Valanciunas leaves, it'll be tough to fill that spot with someone as good as he is.
There's no conclusion here yet, but the Nuggets seem to be digging in. Buckle up.
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