It’s taken a while for the trade to go through, but veteran center Jonas Valanciunas is officially a member of the Denver Nuggets. On Sunday night, the Nuggets announced they acquired Valančiūnas from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Dario Sarič.
The Lithuanian big man still has two years left on his current contract at just over $20.3 million, but he has reportedly received an offer for three years and $36 million to play for Greek club Panathinaikos, which would be closer to home for Valančiūnas. This trade becoming official means that the Nuggets likely have no intention of letting Valančiūnas out of his current deal.
Last season, Valančiūnas played 81 games for the Washington Wizards and Kings, starting 21 of them. He averaged 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. With the Nuggets, Valančiūnas would play a backup role behind three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. While Valančiūnas may want to play overseas on a big deal while getting a bigger role, that seems unlikely with the trade now official.
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NBA teams denying a player’s request to play in Europe is not necessarily new. Last summer, the Charlotte Hornets denied Vasilije Mičić the opportunity to play overseas.
Valančiūnas, 33, will be entering his 14th NBA season after starting his pro career with Lietuvos Rytas of the EuroLeague in 2010-11. Throughout his career, Valančiūnas has averaged 13.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 937 appearances. He will bolster Denver’s depth as the team looks to capture its second NBA title in four years.
