Jonas Valanciunas ends speculation, commits to Nuggets despite European interest
After a month of swirling rumors, Jonas Valanciunas has made it official – he’s staying in Denver. The Lithuanian center confirmed he’ll honor his contract with the Nuggets next season, putting an end to speculation about a potential move to Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos.
“I want to clear the air about my playing situation next season now that Denver has made their decision to keep me,” Jonas said on Monday. “The idea of playing for Panathinaikos, closer to home, was very exciting to me, but that will have to wait.”
The 6-foot-11 big man came to Denver earlier this month when the Nuggets acquired him from Sacramento.
His decision wasn’t a simple one. Reports had been building for weeks that Panathinaikos was making a serious push to bring Valanciunas back to Europe.
But there was one major obstacle – his NBA contract. Valanciunas still has a year left on his deal worth nearly $10 million.
“I am fully committed to honoring my contract with the Nuggets this season and will give it my all to compete for a championship,” he stated firmly.
This marks the first time Valanciunas has directly addressed the situation since rumors of the potential European move first surfaced.
The Nuggets front office hadn’t seemed worried. Just three days ago, Denver’s executive VP of basketball operations Ben Tenzer expressed confidence in the situation.
“There’s been nothing but healthy conversations in terms of him honoring his contract and him excited to be a Nugget,” Tenzer said during a press conference last week.
Before joining the Nuggets for training camp, Valanciunas will represent Lithuania at FIBA EuroBasket this summer.
For general manager Jonathan Wallace, securing Valanciunas completes his offseason roster reshaping. “Their plan is for him to get here sooner than later, but still working through that,” Wallace explained. “We’ll approach it at that time.”
The veteran center’s decision gives Denver a significant boost as they look to make another championship run next season.
