Jonas Valanciunas Reportedly Makes Decision on NBA Future amid Knicks Rumors
Jonas Valančiūnas' free agency has come to an end, and he won't be staying in the NBA.
Valanciuncas is leaving the Association amid links to the New York Knicks and will instead join Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas.
Valančiūnas hit the market on July 8 when he was waived by the Denver Nuggets in a cost-cutting move. His $10 million salary for the 2026-27 season was set to become fully guaranteed if he remained on the roster after that date.
TOP NEWS
Grading Every Team's Summer-League Rookies 🔠
Steph's New Pitch to LeBron
Silver Gives Expansion Update
Instead, the Nuggets are only on the hook for $2 million of Valančiūnas' salary for the upcoming season.
Despite not being the same impact offensive player that he was early in his career, Valančiūnas has shown an ability to adapt to a lesser role recently. The 34-year-old averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in just 13.4 minutes per game in 65 appearances for the Nuggets last season.
On a per-36 minute basis, Valančiūnas accounted for 23.4 points and 13.6 rebounds (4.3 offensive) in 2025-26. He should not play that frequently given his defensive limitations, but there's plenty of ability left in the tank for his new team to take advantage of.
