Jonas Valančiūnas Reportedly Agrees to Join Žalgiris, Pending Nuggets Buyout
Lithuanian center Jonas Valančiūnas has reportedly reached a two-year agreement with Žalgiris Kaunas, according to BasketballNews, but the move is still blocked by his NBA contract. The report, published Tuesday, says the 34-year-old may return to European basketball after 14 years in the NBA and 16 years in the top U.S. league overall.
Valančiūnas still has one season left on his deal with the Denver Nuggets, which is the main obstacle. Denver has the option to cancel the contract, and both sides are said to be hoping for a solution. If that issue is resolved, the Lithuanian big man, who was also linked with Panathinaikos last season, would join Žalgiris.
Valančiūnas began his career in Vilnius, playing in 2008/09 for the Rytas Vilnius reserve team before moving up to the senior side two years later. He then entered the NBA as the fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft. In the 2024/25 regular season, he averaged 8.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 13.4 minutes per game.
Žalgiris are also close to adding more notable names, with reports saying they are nearing agreements with Carsen Edwards and Sterling Brown.
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