Latest news with #Valanciunas
New York Post
10 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
New Nuggets trade acquisition Jonas Valanciunas could leave for Greece in wild turn
Don't go buying that Jonas Valanciunas Nuggets swag just yet. The veteran big man is 'close' to joining Greek team Panathinaikos in a shocking turn after Denver agreed to acquire him from Sacramento earlier this week, according to Valanciunas, 33, reportedly has been offered a three-year deal worth roughly $13 million per season. The Nuggets would pay him $10.395 million this upcoming season and have a team option worth $10 million for the 2026-27 season. Valanciunas could seek a buyout to head to Greece, per NBA Insider Marc Stein. However, doing so would put the two NBA teams involved in this transaction in a tough spot. 4 Jonas Valanciunas is thinking of playing in Greece. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Nuggets landed the former first-round pick in a trade that sent Dario Saric to the Kings, but the deal cannot be completed until the new league year begins July 6. The teams are still expected to proceed with the deal despite the uncertainty, per The Denver Post. The deal gives the Nuggets a better interior piece to serve as Nikola Jokic's backup with two possible years of control, while the Kings freed up future space since Saric is on an expiring deal. Valancinuas, a native of Lithuania who played in Europe for four seasons before entering the NBA, at first liked joining the Nuggets, since he would be on a championship contender, per 4 The Nuggets though they had a backup for Nikola Jokic. AP However, the offer from the Greek powerhouse changed the complexion. The deal provides more financial security over a longer stretch, while also allowing him to play for a championship contender, according to the outlet. 4 Panathinaikos is a EuroLeague powerhosue. Giannis Alexopoulos/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Valanciunas cannot just head to the EuroLeague, though, since the Nuggets hold his rights, as noted by The Denver Post. The sides could potentially try to agree to a buyout or a contract restructuring closer to the offered terms, while it's always possible Denver could agree to decline his player option next season. One major concern for the Nuggets is that there are few quality centers available to obtain at this point, although Al Horford has yet to agree to a deal. Denver, after falling to the champion Thunder in seven games in the second round, has already agreed to one blockbuster this offseason in sending Michael Porter Jr. to the Nets for Cam Johnson. 4 Valancinuas during an April 2025 game. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Valancinuas has played for five teams in his 13-season career and has averaged 10.4 points and 7.7 rebounds last season with the Kings and Wizards. He's tallied 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game for his career.
New York Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Mailbag: Will the Washington Wizards add a big man in free agency or via trade?
The Washington Wizards have been silent so far in free agency. Do team officials see a need to add another big man, and if so, how will they address that need? Will Anthony Gill join the team's front office? And what is the franchise's biggest need? Josh Robbins, The Athletic's beat writer covering the Wizards, answers those questions in the latest edition of his Wizards mailbag. Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length. Are the Wizards looking to trade for a big? — Merl There is a clear shortage of bigs on the roster. Will the Wizards do the same thing as last year when they signed Jonas Valančiūnas as a stopgap/mentor for the skinny young guys? — Bob How do the Wizards get a big? Trade, free agents or G League? How much do they spend? — Johnaton The Wizards are non-participants in free agency thus far. Are there viable targets to sign a big that can help next season? — Tyrone We need a big banger to protect Sarr and let him play the four. Who fits that bill? — Rich How are the Wizards gonna address their lack of a big man? — Anonymous Is the lack of rebounding on this year's team a tanking strategy or part of some broader philosophy? — Jesse I see the redundancy of these questions. They focus on the Wizards' perceived lack of big-man depth. But I included all of them to demonstrate how much of a concern this issue is to the team's fans. I say this with all due respect: You've all gone quite mad! You're not entirely wrong, folks. Washington finished last season 27th leaguewide in defensive-rebounding percentage, and that occurred even though Valančiūnas, one of the league's most efficient defensive-rebounding bigs, appeared in 49 games and played 982 minutes before the team traded him at the deadline. Advertisement So, yes, I agree that defensive rebounding likely will remain a severe weakness this season. This wasn't the time to chase the likes of Clint Capela, Al Horford, Kevon Looney or Mason Plumlee in free agency. It would have been a disaster to reach a deal with Deandre Ayton after his Trail Blazers buyout. Let's talk about the big picture. As frustrating as it may be to hear, Washington has to — has to! — structure its roster to ensure it receives a top-eight pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Because of a prior trade, the Wizards would send the New York Knicks that pick if it falls anywhere from ninth to 30th. I know it sounds repugnant, and I know it contradicts everyone's long-held notions of trying to win as many games as possible, but keeping that pick should be at the forefront of the Wizards officials' minds. Improving the defensive rebounding too greatly could put that pick at risk. Keeping that pick will require a delicate balance as is. I think a big-man rotation of Alex Sarr, Kelly Olynyk and Richaun Holmes can be competitive. Sarr ranked in the 37th percentile among NBA bigs in defensive-rebounding percentage as a rookie, according to Cleaning the Glass. That's below average, for sure, but not quite as dire as so many of you seem to think. Because he's only 20 years old, I think he should receive the opportunity to improve. I also believe some improvement in the season ahead is a reasonable expectation. Olynyk used to be a league-average defensive rebounder, but the stats show he is far below average now. I think you're sleeping on Holmes. He's a strong defensive rebounder, ranking in the 78th percentile among NBA bigs last season, per Cleaning the Glass. He also adds some of the grit the Wizards desperately need. He can provide the physicality you're looking for. Barring a trade of Holmes or Olynyk before the start of training camp, I do not envision the Wizards attempting to sign a free-agent big. Team officials didn't pursue one at the start of free agency, and that's not going to change. Advertisement Ideally, a contending team ought to have the personnel to match up well against any kind of lineup, from a small-ball opponent to an opponent that starts two bigs. The Wizards' brain trust intends to become that kind of team eventually. But not now. It's still too early in the rebuild. I also think you're overestimating the value of bigs in some situations. From Feb. 24-March 15, the Wizards posted a 6-4 record. It was their best stretch of the season, and it included victories in Detroit and Denver. But over that 10-game stretch, coach Brian Keefe deployed starting lineups that consisted of one point guard, three wings and either Sarr or Holmes at center. The commonality is that the team did not open games with a traditional power forward. Those three wings were some combination of Bilal Coulibaly, Khris Middleton, Kyshawn George and Justin Champagnie. So, I think the Wizards can get by without adding to their cupboard of big men. Keep in mind that 'getting by' is relative to what the team's goals are, and those goals are modest. Some of the younger guys who opine about the Wizards say that general manager Will Dawkins missed the boat on bringing in a young big man either in the draft or free agency. I tend to disagree. So when the Wizards are not fielding a small-ball lineup (with Champagnie as the key rebounder), who gets the big-man minutes? Tristan Vukcevic? Olynyk? Are they keeping Holmes? (He has played well, in my opinion.) — Ken What do you mean by 'younger' people? Are you saying that I'm old? Other than that, I'm with you on this one for all the reasons I've already stated. But I'll add this: This was not the time to seek out positional balance in the draft. With the sixth pick, Washington drafted the player it ranked as the best player available, Tre Johnson. I agree with the strategy to take the best-available player. The Wizards need to add players who have the best chances of becoming upper-level players, not players who fill a positional need. Washington had Johnson ranked higher on its draft board than Khaman Maluach and Derik Queen. The 'opiners' are wrong. Any word on whether Anthony Gill is joining the front office? — Joe Some background first: The Wizards waived Gill on Sunday, which was the deadline for his 2025-26 salary of $2.5 million to become guaranteed. Gill, 32, is highly respected within the Wizards' front office and coaching staff. But no, he's not joining the front office. I expect the Wizards to re-sign him at a veteran's minimum salary and have him serve as their 15th man. Keep in mind that the 2025-26 veteran's minimum salary for a player with his service time will exceed the $2.5 million he was originally due to earn; in other words, if he re-signs for the veteran's minimum, he'll earn approximately $121,000 more than he would have earned if the Wizards hadn't waived him. Advertisement By the way, when a team signs a player with three or more seasons of NBA experience to a minimum-salary contract, the league reimburses the team for the difference of that salary and the minimum salary for a player with two years of service. The Wizards will make out better with that reimbursement if they re-sign Gill than they would have made out if they had not waived him. Gill has played a critical role as a resource and as an example for the team's young players. It appears that a significant segment of Wizards fans would prefer to see the team use its final roster spot on a young player with more on-court potential. That is a valid point. That said, even with Middleton, CJ McCollum, Olynyk (and possibly Marcus Smart) on the roster, I think Washington would benefit from having Gill as a player. Could Gill serve as a mentor to players as a member of the front office? To a degree, yes. But he'd be more effective as a player, in my opinion. There is a danger of having too young a roster, and re-signing Gill would guard against that. Plus, being the 15th man on a roster is not quite as easy as it may seem. It's a skill to be ready on a moment's notice, especially when you don't expect to play. Gill is not a league-average player, but his ability to play his best when called on is something that coaches value. What do you believe the team's greatest need long-term is? — DC Sports I think the team's biggest need is a player — any player — who reasonably projects as a future All-Star instead of merely as an NBA starter. In this rebuild, Washington has drafted, or traded for, a group of intriguing young players, headed by Bub Carrington, Coulibaly, George, AJ Johnson, Tre Johnson and Sarr. I can make reasonable cases that any one of those guys at his best, and when fully developed, could become good enough to be a starter on a contending team. Developing into a solid starter on a contending team is a pretty good outcome, especially in the case of a player who was drafted 14th (Carrington), 23rd (AJ Johnson) or 24th (George); as draft-obsessed observers would say, those would be cases of Washington finding solid 'value.' Advertisement But do any of the players project as likely future All-Stars? The short answer: probably not, but it's much too early to know for sure. The players I've mentioned range in age from 19 to 21 years old, and their NBA experience levels range from none (in Tre Johnson's case) to two seasons (in Coulibaly's case). It's incredibly difficult to predict how players this young and this inexperienced will develop. Sometimes youngsters make leaps that even the people who drafted them do not expect. Still, I say this all the time, and I stand by it: A potential danger for the Wizards' rebuild is that the team will wind up with 'merely good' young players but no one who truly drives winning. There would be avenues to overcome that scenario, such as a trade for an undervalued player or for a player who is redundant on his roster; an example would be how Indiana acquired Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson from Sacramento a few years ago for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a future second-round pick. Free agency would be another possibility; Houston, for instance, signed veteran free agents such as Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks and hired a top coach to complement its young nucleus. Still, for Washington or any other team that started a rebuild almost from scratch, the cleanest way to get a star is through the draft, because it would mean no players or draft picks would go out the door to acquire him. To the Wizards' credit, they haven't put all their hopes on winning the lottery and picking at the top of the draft. They've attempted to trade for as many future first-round picks or young players as possible in the hope that at least one of those players — Carrington, George and AJ Johnson, for instance — emerges as a top-flight player. At this moment, I cannot point to anyone on the roster whom I confidently envision as a future All-Star. It's early yet, though. The young Wizards are welcome to prove me (and many personnel evaluators around the league) wrong. (Top photo of Alex Sarr and Wendell Carter Jr.: Reggie Hildred / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jonas Valanciunas Expected to Make Shocking Decision After Kings Trade
Jonas Valanciunas Expected to Make Shocking Decision After Kings Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Sacramento Kings are coming off a season that wasn't anything remarkable, but wasn't anything bad either. They finished with a 40-42 record, which was good enough to qualify for the NBA Play-In Tournament as the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Advertisement However, that proved to be as far as they would go, falling to a short-handed Dallas Mavericks team in the first round 120-106. Doug Christie was later named the full-time head coach after serving in an interim role. The Kings also appointed a new general manager, Scott Perry. Jonas Valaciunas expected to make shocking decision after Kings trade The Kings remained active in the NBA Draft. They went into the draft not owning a first-round pick, but after a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, they acquired the No. 24 pick and selected Nique Clifford out of Colorado State. In the second round at No. 42, they selected Stanford center Maxime Raynaud. Raynaud has a playstyle similar to big man Domantas Sabonis, so it makes sense that the Kings would want his backup to play similarly. As a result, the Kings traded big man Jonas Valanciunas to the Denver Nuggets for Dario Saric, mostly to get off Valanciunas' salary. However, the Kings received shocking news Wednesday that will garner a decision from Valaciunas on his future. Advertisement "Jonas Valanciunas is close to leaving the NBA and joining Greece's Panathinaikos Athens, per BasketNews. Valanciunas was traded to the Nuggets just two days ago but has reportedly been lured by Panathinaikos' 3-year €12 million offer," read a post from ClutchPoints. Valanciunas has two years and roughly $20.4 million left on his deal. He's considering a retirement from the NBA to be able to accept this deal. Despite not having played for them, losing Valanciunas on the boards down low would be a signficant blow for a Nuggets team that has spend this free agency period rebuilding for a run next season. Advertisement This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Following reported trade to Nuggets, Jonas Valanciunas considering NBA departure to play overseas: Report
Jonas Valanciunas might not back up Nikola Jokic, after all. Just two days after reports surfaced about an agreed-to player swap between the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets that would send Valanciunas to Denver and fellow veteran big man Dario Saric to Sacramento, news broke about Valanciunas' interest in playing overseas. Advertisement Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews first reported Thursday that Valanciunas is considering leaving the NBA to play for Greek club Panathinaikos Athens. Longtime NBA insider Marc Stein confirmed Urbonas' report that a return to Europe is enticing for Valanciunas. Stein reported that Valanciunas could seek a buyout from his NBA contract to join Panathinaikos Athens. Even though Denver and Sacramento agreed to the Valanciunas-Saric trade, the exchange cannot be made official until Sunday. This breaking news story will be updated.
Mint
3 days ago
- Sport
- Mint
Sacramento Kings trade Jonas Valanciunas to Denver Nuggets for Dario Saric
The Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets have made a big deal just as NBA free agency began on July 1, 2025. Denver will acquire center Jonas Valanciunas from the Kings in exchange for forward Dario Saric. The trade comes shortly after Sacramento picked up Valanciunas from the Washington Wizards in a February 2025 trade-deadline move. Jonas Valanciunas will be a strong addition to the Denver Nuggets' roster. Last season, Valanciunas averaged 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 81 games, starting 21 of them. He's a tough player who can score inside, take rebounds, and protect the rim. This makes him a great fit alongside Nikola Jokic, who had an incredible 2024-25 season but finished second in MVP voting to Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This trade isn't Denver's only move. They also traded Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson on July 1. With Valanciunas and Johnson, the Nuggets are building a stronger team around Jokic to compete for a championship. The Sacramento Kings are getting Dario Saric, a forward who can shoot from outside and pass well. Saric's ability to stretch the floor will help stars like De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis by creating more space for them to attack. Saric's skills fit Sacramento's fast-paced, offensive style. He can play as a backup or alongside Sabonis, giving the Kings more options in their lineup. Both teams will need to adjust quickly as the 2025-26 NBA season nears. Denver's new-look roster, with Valanciunas and Johnson, should make them a bigger threat in the Western Conference. Sacramento will look to Saric to add scoring and flexibility to their offense. With free agency just starting, more trades and signings could shake things up even further. This trade works well for both teams. Denver Nuggets get a strong center to pair with Jokic, while Sacramento Kings add a skilled forward to boost their attack.
