Jonas Valanciunas spoke his mind about playing for the Denver Nuggets. Earlier this offseason, Valanciunas was traded to the Nuggets by the Sacramento Kings. The Kings got Dario Saric in exchange. While Valanciunas has two years remaining from this three-year contract worth $30.2 million, there were rumors that the Nuggets planned on waiving his contract.
This led to speculations about Valanciunas playing for Panathinaikos Basketball Club in Athens. Valanciunas also revealed that he had full intentions of playing there, especially considering how close it is to his home in Lithuania.
That said, the Nuggets have since decided on keeping Jonas Valanciunas around. On Monday, the big man declared his commitment to the team and announced that Panathinaikos would have to wait.
Here's what he had to say on X:
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"I want to clear the air about my playing situation next season now that Denver has made their decision to keep me," Valanciunas wrote. "The idea of playing for Panathinaikos, closer to home, was very exciting to me, but that will have to wait. I am fully committed to honoring my contract with the Nuggets this season and will give it my all to compete for a championship."
Nuggets VP plans on honoring Jonas Valanciunas' contract
In the NBA, traded players don't always suit up for their new teams. In some instances, their contracts get waived instead. Rumors suggested that the same was to happen with Jonas Valanciunas and the Denver Nuggets.
While Valanciunas made a huge statement regarding his commitment to the Nuggets next season, it appears that Denver's organization plans on staying as committed to the Lithuanian big man.
Nuggets Executive Vice President Ben Tenzer said that they have no intentions of letting go of Jonas Valanciunas. He is expected to be Nikola Jokic's backup center and is seen as a key piece in the roster as the Nuggets will attempt to win their second championship in franchise history.
“There’s been nothing but healthy conversations in terms of him honoring his contract and him excited to be a Nugget,” Tenzer said of Valanciunas.
With that in mind, Nuggets fans can expect to see Valanciunas suit up for the team for the next two seasons.
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