Jonas Valanciunas woke up to some surprising news the other day. According to a report out of Lithuania, he had already signed with Zalgiris Kaunas. Problem is, nobody bothered to tell him.
The veteran big man fired back on social media after Krepsinis.net reported he was heading back to his home country to play for the club where his career began. Valanciunas posted a message alongside a few laughing emojis, essentially saying it’s funny how other people just decide your future for you. He thanked the “chroniclers” for making the decision on his behalf.
It’s not the first time Valanciunas has been linked to a Euro move. Last offseason, plenty of people assumed he’d go overseas before he surprised everyone and signed with the Denver Nuggets to back up Nikola Jokic. That experiment had its moments. Valanciunas used his size and that sneaky passing ability to give Denver solid minutes during the regular season. But the playoffs were a different story. The Timberwolves series exposed some limitations, and Valanciunas struggled to stay on the floor in a matchup that demanded quicker feet and more switchability.
So when Denver decided to move on, it wasn’t exactly shocking. The Nuggets have been hemorrhaging depth over the last couple of years, watching key guys walk in free agency, and Valanciunas became the latest casualty of their roster crunch.
Now the question is where he ends up. There’s still a chance an NBA team comes calling. He’s a proven backup who can rebound, finish around the rim, and spread the floor a little. But the Euro rumors aren’t going away either. Zalgiris makes sense as a destination. He’s a legend in Lithuania and would be a massive draw for the league. But Valanciunas clearly isn’t ready to announce anything yet, and he’s pushing back on anyone trying to speed up that timeline.
Denver Has Other Problems to Solve
The Nuggets aren’t exactly sitting around wondering what Valanciunas does next. They’ve got a restricted free agent in Peyton Watson who needs a contract, and fans are getting nervous. Denver has let too many pieces walk in recent years, and losing a young, versatile wing like Watson would sting. The front office says all the right things about wanting to keep him, but the price tag might get uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, Valanciunas waits. It might be the NBA. It might be Europe. He just wants to be the one making that call when the time comes.
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