Nuggets moving forward with Jonas Valančiūnas trade as center considers offer to play in Greece: Report
The Nuggets are moving forward on a trade for the veteran center, despite him considering an offer from Greek club Panathinaikos Athens, according to reporter Marc Stein. Valančiūnas is currently in Greece to meet with Panathinaikos about the offer.
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To play in Greece, Valančiūnas would have to negotiate a buyout from the remaining two years and $20.4 million remaining on his contract.
Just two days after reports surfaced about an agreed-to player swap between the Nuggets and Kings that would send Valančiūnas to Denver and fellow veteran big man Dario Šarić to Sacramento, news broke about Valančiūnas' interest in playing overseas.
Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews first reported Thursday that Valančiūnas is considering leaving the NBA to play for Greek club Panathinaikos Athens.
Stein confirmed Urbonas' report that a return to Europe is enticing for Valančiūnas, a 33-year-old center from Lithuania.
Even though Denver and Sacramento agreed to the Valančiūnas-Šarić trade, the exchange cannot be made official until Sunday.
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Trading for Valančiūnas was part of a Nuggets offseason reset that began with the franchise trading forward Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for forward Cameron Johnson. Denver also agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent wing Bruce Brown, who played a key role for the Nuggets during a 2023 run to their first NBA title.
Valančiūnas was expected to give Denver depth at center behind Jokić, a three-time league MVP.
The 6-foot-11 Valančiūnas was drafted No. 5 overall in 2011 by the Toronto Raptors yet didn't make his NBA debut until the 2012-13 season. Before that, he played for pro club Rytas Vilnius in Vilnius, Lithuania.
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A 13-year NBA veteran, Valančiūnas spent 2012-19 with the Raptors, except he was traded midway through the 2018-19 campaign, which ended with the Kawhi Leonard-led Raptors winning the NBA Finals. Valančiūnas was then shipped off to Memphis, where he played through the 2020-21 season. He was with the New Orleans Pelicans the next three seasons.
In 2024-25, he split time between the Washington Wizards and Kings. In 49 games, and 12 starts, with the Wizards, Valančiūnas averaged 11.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game. In 32 games and nine starts with the Kings, he averaged 8.7 points and 7 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game.
While Valančiūnas started sparingly this past season, he has been part of his team's starting five in 848 of the 937 games he's played during his NBA career. He averaged a double-double in each of the four seasons from 2019-23, a stretch that began with the Grizzlies and ended with the Pelicans.
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Over the course of his career, Valančiūnas has averaged 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field and 34.1% from 3.
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21 minutes ago
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Player grades: Nikola Topic makes debut in Thunder's 92-80 SL loss to Grizzlies
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Mitchell took over as the lead scorer. He got into a groove and drove to the basket with several fancy finishes. Meanwhile, Topic looked better as the game progressed. Brooks Barnhizer also shone as an all-hustle guy. Advertisement The buckets came in a flurry in the second half. Both teams figured out how to play against each other. Such is the modern nature of the NBA. Where even the exhibitions see teams score buckets at a fast pace. After Topic muscled his way through contact for a layup, the Thunder only faced a 61-60 deficit with a little over two minutes left in the third frame. Then the Grizzlies went on an 11-1 run to close the quarter. They scored 27 points in the frame. In the blink of an eye, the Thunder were in a 72-62 deficit after the third quarter. Wells and GG Jackson II took over. That must've been exciting to see if you're Memphis, as they're your two best available Summer League players. The Grizzlies stiff-armed the Thunder on the scoreboard for the rest of the way. The closest OKC would get was within eight points. Armando Bacot's easy layup pushed Memphis' lead to 82-68 with a little over six minutes left. That was their largest lead of the night. The Thunder shot 48% from the field and went 7-of-23 (30.4%) from 3. They shot 11-of-17 on free throws. They had 14 assists on 31 baskets. Three Thunder players scored double-digit points. Advertisement Mitchell led the way with 24 points and six assists. Topic finished with 14 points and four assists. Barnhizer tallied nine points and 13 rebounds. Jazian Gortman had 10 points off the bench. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies shot 43% from the field and went 10-of-27 (37%) from 3. They shot 24-of-25 on free throws. They had 23 assists on 29 baskets. Three Grizzlies players scored double-digit points. Wells finished with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists. Jackson II had 20 points and three rebounds. 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He quietly developed in the background of OKC's historic season that ended with a championship. Usually, the NBA champion has nothing to look forward to in the Summer League. The prospect cupboards are bare. Advertisement But thanks to the Thunder's rich draft haul, they had a blue-chip prospect already on the roster. Someone argued as a top-five pick before he sustained a partially torn ACL in May 2024. Topic showed flashes, but is still a work in progress. The drives to the basket were impressive. Topic looked under control. An element that's rarely seen from a 19-year-old. He showed some nice feel around the basket with a floater and finishes. The outside shot was also showcased with a couple of rushed 3-pointers that swished in. A couple of kick-out passes to outside shooters resulted in assists. The ball-handler looked right at home running the show. Especially in transition. He thrived in the chaotic nature of a fast break. 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NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) Dancing with Fleming Jr., Mitchell spun around the Memphis defender and tripped him over his feet. He then bodied through Lawson Lovering's vertical contest for the fancy finish around the basket. The 23-year-old was in rhythm. After all, Summer League must've felt like small potatoes compared to the NBA Finals. Mitchell finished with 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting, six assists and one rebound. He shot 1-of-3 from3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had a steal. Advertisement Carrying the baton from Jalen Williams a couple of summers ago, Mitchell looked too good to be on the floor. He resembled his MVP teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with constant drives to the basket. He had no problem muscling his way through traffic or throwing up a soft floater that went in. 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NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) Diving for a loose ball in the final moments, Barnhizer quickly got up and called a timeout. So far, his scouting report has looked pretty accurate. The 23-year-old played like a Red Bull can compensating for a lack of jumper with extra-effort plays. Advertisement Barnhizer finished with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting and 13 rebounds. He shot 1-of-2 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws. He also had a steal. The board numbers pop out. Barnhizer was a great rebounder for his size at Northwestern. Looks like that strength easily translates to Summer League competition. Remains to be seen in the NBA, though. But the two-way player doesn't need to be a miss-shot magnet to be a positive on the court. Everything advertised about Barnhizer was shown in his Summer League debut. He can't score but can do a whole lot of else. He could swing a game in the Thunder's favor by winning on the margins. You saw that when he chased after a loose ball despite the score. Alex Ducas: C-minus SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JULY 5: Nate Hinton #8 of the Memphis Grizzlies tries to push through Zack Austin #52 and Alex Ducas #88 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of their NBA Summer League game at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on July 5, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) After an injury-plagued first year, Ducas hopes to flip the page for a better second season. He's off to a much better start now than he was this time last year. Just by simply being available. Advertisement Ducas finished with six points on 2-of-5 shooting and one rebound. He shot 2-of-4 from 3. He came off the bench. To be honest, outside of the above three players, nobody else on the Thunder really stood out. Branden Carlson didn't suit up, so Ducas was the other notable name. He was a two-way player last season. The 24-year-old will need to be lights out from the outside. That's his bread and butter. He'll have the entire Summer League to argue for himself why he should be back on a two-way deal. The only player officially under a two-way deal is Barnhizer. Carlson was tendered a two-way qualifying offer. Highlights: This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Topic debuts in Thunder's 92-80 SL loss to Grizzlies
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Ajay Mitchell could soon graduate from Summer League after dominating Grizzlies
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