Jonas Valanciunas ‘happy’ to be with Nuggets, focused on winning it all

Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas arrived at Ball Arena on Monday.

The entire Mile High City was excited to see him walk through those doors.

After a wild summer, including multiple reports Valanciunas wanted to play in Greece this upcoming season, he’s here. The veteran will play behind superstar Nikola Jokic (and sometimes with) as a key piece off the Nuggets bench.

And while things had been trending this direction for months, it was good to see Valanciunas at media day. He also took the podium and gave two key answers.

First, Jonas Valanciunas is glad to be here. Any drama that fans were worried about doesn’t seem like it will exist. He’s focused on the task at hand, being an important part of a very good basketball team.

Jonas Valančiūnas gives his take on what happened this summer, “I’m here and I’m happy to be here… if I’m not happy I wouldn’t be here.

What’s behind us is history, now we have the future in front of us. We all have jobs to do to make the future even brighter.” pic.twitter.com/QqTGSOFJsm

— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) September 29, 2025

“One thing I want to clarify is I’m here, I’m happy to be here. I’m going to dive in to win more games than ever. So, I think we have a great opportunity to compete for the highest level,” Jonas Valanciunas  said.

That highest level would be the Nuggets capturing their second championship in four years. Valanciunas doesn’t have an NBA title to his name, getting traded from the Toronto Raptors before they reached the mountaintop.

It’s clear winning is a priority for him with Denver, and he’s eager to contribute however possible.

Val says it’s all about chasing a championship for him. “The opportunity to win excites me.” pic.twitter.com/Hc72wphDfX

— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) September 29, 2025

“The biggest thing that excites me is the opportunity to win,” Valanciunas said. “I want to do everything to win a ‘ship, to go all the way. So I’m here to do whatever.”

That “whatever” is mostly going to be keeping the bench unit afloat while Jokic gets some rare rest. The Nuggets have had too many lapses in the department — and need to fix it.

They’re hoping Jonas Valanciunas is the answer. And after an offseason of questions, it looks like those have been put to bed.

It’s time to go on the court and do it.

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