Jonas Valanciunas is back on the market. The Denver Nuggets waived the veteran center before his $10 million salary became guaranteed, a cost-cutting move that frees up some breathing room for them this summer. They’ve got a Peyton Watson extension to figure out, and this clears a path.
But for Valanciunas, it’s a fresh start. And according to SNY’s Ian Begley, the New York Knicks are one of the teams already poking around.
“NYK was interested in Jonas Valanciunas in ‘24 offseason. ‘We had a lot of talks with different teams. New York (was) one of them,’ he said then. NYK will have solid depth at center if Valanciunas, a former client of Leon Rose, chooses Knicks in his current free agency. He is among centers on their radar,” Begley posted on X.
That connection runs deeper than a casual rumor. Valanciunas was repped by Leon Rose before Rose became the Knicks’ president. That relationship doesn’t guarantee a signing, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
Why the Knicks Need Another Big Man
The Knicks lost both of their backup centers in the offseason, and that’s a problem they’ve been slow to fix. They signed Andre Drummond early in free agency, which helped. Drummond is a vacuum on the glass, and he’ll give them something close to what Mitchell Robinson provided before the injuries. But one guy isn’t enough for a team with playoff ambitions in a conference full of size.
Valanciunas brings something different. He’s not just a banger inside. He can step out and hit a midrange shot, even a three when he’s feeling it. He’s a decent passer for a center, too. And the Knicks have Karl-Anthony Towns, who operates a lot like that — a scoring big who can also space the floor. Having both of them in the rotation would give Tom Thibodeau options he didn’t have last season.
It’s not hard to imagine Valanciunas getting 20 minutes a night in New York, eating up second-unit frontcourts and giving the starters a breather without a huge drop-off. Teams with championship hopes need that kind of depth.
There’s Going to Be Competition
Valanciunas won’t exactly be lining up alone outside the Knicks’ door. The center market has thinned out, and there are other contenders looking for the same kind of veteran presence. A bidding war isn’t out of the question, especially for a guy who can still average a double-double when given minutes.
The Knicks have cap flexibility and a winning team to sell. But so do a handful of other franchises. It might come down to where Valanciunas thinks he can win, and fast. At 32, he’s not looking to rebuild.
By waiving him, the Nuggets did what they had to do financially. But they also kicked a useful player loose into a market that’s suddenly paying attention.
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