Latest news with #Valanciunas
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets reportedly tell Jonan Valanciunas they expect him to honor contract
One of the deals that made the Denver Nuggets a winner this offseason was trading for Jonas Valanciunas. He would be the best backup center of the Nikola Jokic era in Denver... Except Valanciunas reportedly wanted to play in Europe. He spoke with officials from Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos about a return to Europe, and they reportedly were willing to offer three years, $13 million, which would make him one of the highest-paid players on the continent. Advertisement The problem is it's not Valanciunas' call. Nor Panathinaikos. It's Denver's. Valanciunas can't abandon his two-year, $20.4 million contract and quit the Nuggets. There are FIBA rules about such things. The Nuggets informed Valanciunas' representatives that "the franchise fully intends to have him honor his contract," reports ESPN's Shams Charania. If Denver sticks to its guns on this, the conversation is over. While this could be a negotiating tactic by the Nuggets, don't bet on it. Denver wants to contend next season, and Valanciunas is too valuable a player for the Nuggets to just let walk away. For years, Denver's biggest Achilles' heel has been the team's non-Jokic minutes — Valanciunas can help turn that tide (especially when paired with Bruce Brown, Peyton Watson and the emerging Julian Strawther). Also, because Valanciunas is very skilled at dribble handoffs and short midrange shots (inside 15 feet), the Nuggets don't have to switch up their offensive scheme when Jokic is out. The road to Valanciunas playing in Greece next season is long and requires the cooperation of Denver. Under FIBA rules (the governing body of international basketball), a player under contract, such as Valanciunas, needs a FIBA "letter of clearance" to sign with another team. (For the record, this rule applies to European teams trying to sign NBA players, or NBA teams trying to sign European players.) In this case, it would mean Valanciunas and the Nuggets would have to agree to a buyout, freeing him from his contract (the Nuggets would likely expect him to give up all of that money). After that, FIBA would issue the letter and Valanciunas could sign. Advertisement The question is, why would Denver do that? More likely than not, Denver will bring back Valanciunas this season and see how it plays out. A year from now, maybe Denver and Valanciunas work out a buyout, but the Nuggets upgraded this offseason and are serious contenders for another ring. They aren't going to let Valanciunas simply walk away.
NBC Sports
6 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nuggets reportedly tell Jonan Valanciunas they expect him to honor contract
One of the deals that made the Denver Nuggets a winner this offseason was trading for Jonas Valanciunas. He would be the best backup center of the Nikola Jokic era in Denver... Except Valanciunas reportedly wanted to play in Europe. He spoke with officials from Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos about a return to Europe, and they reportedly were willing to offer three years, $13 million, which would make him one of the highest-paid players on the continent. The problem is it's not Valanciunas' call. Nor Panathinaikos. It's Denver's. Valanciunas can't abandon his two-year, $20.4 million contract and quit the Nuggets. There are FIBA rules about such things. The Nuggets informed Valanciunas' representatives that 'the franchise fully intends to have him honor his contract,' reports ESPN's Shams Charania. If Denver sticks to its guns on this, the conversation is over. While this could be a negotiating tactic by the Nuggets, don't bet on it. Denver wants to contend next season, and Valanciunas is too valuable a player for the Nuggets to just let walk away. For years, Denver's biggest Achilles' heel has been the team's non-Jokic minutes — Valanciunas can help turn that tide (especially when paired with Bruce Brown, Peyton Watson and the emerging Julian Strawther). Also, because Valanciunas is very skilled at dribble handoffs and short midrange shots (inside 15 feet), the Nuggets don't have to switch up their offensive scheme when Jokic is out. The road to Valanciunas playing in Greece next season is long and requires the cooperation of Denver. Under FIBA rules (the governing body of international basketball), a player under contract, such as Valanciunas, needs a FIBA 'letter of clearance' to sign with another team. (For the record, this rule applies to European teams trying to sign NBA players, or NBA teams trying to sign European players.) In this case, it would mean Valanciunas and the Nuggets would have to agree to a buyout, freeing him from his contract (the Nuggets would likely expect him to give up all of that money). After that, FIBA would issue the letter and Valanciunas could sign. The question is, why would Denver do that? More likely than not, Denver will bring back Valanciunas this season and see how it plays out. A year from now, maybe Denver and Valanciunas work out a buyout, but the Nuggets upgraded this offseason and are serious contenders for another ring. They aren't going to let Valanciunas simply walk away.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets pushing forward with Jonas Valanciunas trade with Kings
The post Nuggets pushing forward with Jonas Valanciunas trade with Kings appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Denver Nuggets look set to move ahead with their trade for the Sacramento Kings' Jonas Valanciunas despite firm interest in him from EuroLeague's Panathinaikos. Advertisement The Lithuanian center was in Greece earlier this weekend to meet team officials despite being under contract with the Kings. Valanciunas is not allowed to sign with the EuroLeague team unless he is released from his NBA contract. However, the Nuggets will acquire him in a swap for Dario Saric and hope to convince Valanciunas to stay in the NBA as a backup to Nikola Jokic, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Earlier, Panathinaikos officials had claimed that there will be an official reception for Valanciunas in the coming days in Greece. 'In about 10 days we will be here again,' a Panathinaikos spokesperson said, hinting at a celebratory reception at Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos Airport which would be attended by 'thousands of friends,' per HoopsHype. Advertisement Valanciunas has agreed to a three-year, $12 million contract with Panathinaikos. However, the Nuggets intend to move ahead with the trade in a situation that is akin to how Sasha Vezenkov's transfer to Olympiacos played out last year in July. However, unlike the Toronto Raptors, who were willing to let Vezenkov return to Europe, the Nuggets seem intent on trying to keep Valanciunas. Valanciunas will enter the second year of a three-year, $30 million contract he signed as part of a sign-and-trade with the Washington Wizards, and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026-27 season. The 33-year-old center was drafted fifth overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. In his 937 games in the NBA thus far, he has averaged 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds, almost a double-double. He averaged 10.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season, playing 81 times combined for the Wizards and the Kings. The Nuggets view the veteran as a capable backup to Jokic and seem intent on keeping him. However, Valanciunas may have already played his last game in the NBA if they fail to do so. Related: Nuggets rumors: 1 'obvious' reason Denver wants to block Jonas Valanciunas' Greece move Related: The move Denver Nuggets still must make in 2025 NBA free agency
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets moving forward with Jonas Valančiūnas trade as center considers offer to play in Greece: Report
Jonas Valančiūnas might not back up Nikola Jokić, after all. However, the Denver Nuggets are still determined to make that happen. 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets continue dazzling offseason in Jonas Valanciunas trade with Kings
The post Nuggets continue dazzling offseason in Jonas Valanciunas trade with Kings appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Denver Nuggets are staying quite active in the NBA trade market. A day after dealing Michael Porter Jr., the team is trading a player once again. Denver is sending Dario Saric to the Sacramento Kings for Jonas Valanciunas, per ESPN. Advertisement The trade comes on the heels of the deal that sent Porter to Brooklyn for Cam Johnson. Saric had averaged just 3.5 points per game this past season in Denver. Valanciunas spent last year with the Kings, as well as the Washington Wizards. He averaged a little more than 10 points per game, playing at both stops. He shot better than 50 percent from the field. Nuggets are trying to get back to the NBA Finals Denver is clearly going to look very different next season. Johnson and Valanciunas join Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and others in trying to take the team back to the NBA Finals. The Nuggets lost this past season in the NBA Playoffs, to eventual champion Oklahoma City. Advertisement Saric had spent just this one season in Denver. He is now headed to his fifth team in the last four seasons. He has played for Oklahoma City, Golden State, Phoenix, Denver, and now Sacramento since 2022. Valanciunas is another well-traveled player. The Lithuanian big man is headed to his fourth team in the last three years. He played for New Orleans, Washington, Sacramento and now Denver since 2022. Valanciunas is expected to shore up some minutes for the Nuggets, when Jokic will need rest. The new additions to the team will need to help replace the minutes and production left by Porter. This past season, Porter averaged more than 18 points for Denver. He had several strong performances in the NBA Playoffs, including a 21-point performance against the Thunder in Game 3 of that series. Johnson averaged more than 18 points a game this past season for the Nets. Brooklyn also received an unprotected 2032 NBA Draft pick with Porter. Related: NBA news: Damian Lillard's agent breaks silence on stunning Bucks release Related: Best free-agent destinations for Damian Lillard after Bucks waived him
