In a very quiet offseason for the Denver Nuggets with limited movement, an official deadline caused them to make an important financial move.

According to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, the Nuggets are waiving backup center Jonas Valanciunas in a cap related move.

As Scotto relays, Valanciunas had a partial guarantee in his contract for $2 million this season, but the Nuggets decided to waive him on the full guarantee date (July 8th) to ensure that the full $10 million in salary wouldn’t become guaranteed.

This moves saves the Nuggets $8 million in salary, an important factor for a roster facing a salary cap crunch like the Nuggets.

Valanciunas was acquired last season via trade with the Sacramento Kings. In the 65 games he played, Valanciunas averaged 13.4 minutes per game backing up superstar Nikola Jokic. The Lithuanian center averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, maximizing his productivity in a limited role and giving the Nuggets a backup center they could rely upon from night to night.

Toward the end of the season though, the Nuggets began experimenting with more small ball lineups, often choosing to play Spencer Jones or Aaron Gordon at center instead of the traditional big man in Valanciunas. Denver’s regular season backup played just 25 total minutes across four out of six possible playoff games, and though he had some positive moments in a small playoff role, he also scored as many points as he committed personal fouls (11).

The Nuggets have had to make several choices related to finances this offseason, and they’re probably not done. The Nuggets are currently projected to be a second apron team, especially if they re-sign Peyton Watson to a significant contract. There’s a possibility that Denver’s salary cap + luxury tax bill rises as high as $450 million in roster commitments.

Waiving Valanciunas saves Denver some breathing room on luxury tax payments. It also allows Valanciunas the opportunity to dictate his own future. There have been some reports that Valanciunas has already agreed to a deal overseas with a Lithuanian team, and the only way for Valanciunas to truly extricate himself from an NBA deal was to be released.

So now, the Nuggets move on without a fairly steady backup center, who had his flaws but was also highly productive. They will replace Valanciunas with Marvin Bagley III, who signed a veteran minimum contract a couple days into free agency.

Denver will miss Valanciunas’ size, physicality, screen-setting, and scoring ability. They will have to find advantages in some other ways, but Bagley’s own scoring and mobility will help offset the loss. The Nuggets will likely have to replace Valanciunas by committee though, meaning Denver can’t be done finding options that actually help them at the center position.