Former Kings Center Considering Move to EuroLeague

After the news broke, it was confirmed that technically Valanciunas is still a King, and many wondered if the update would affect the trade between the Kings and the Nuggets. But after some time, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line confirmed that while discussions between Valanciunas and the Nuggets are ongoing, the trade won't be impacted.

Valanciunas averaged 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 55% shooting from the field last season between the Washington Wizards and the Kings. He showed he can still contribute on a nightly basis and was widely seen as one of the best backup centers in the NBA.

The Nuggets brought in the big man to backup Nikola Jokić, so playing time might be hard to come by for Valanciunas. At 33 years old, that could be factoring in to his decision, as well as returning closer to Lithuania.

Relating this back to the Kings, it will be interesting to see how this story develops. Sacramento seems to have traded Valanciunas to the Nuggets in a move to reduce their salary. Saric is making $5.4 million next season compared to $10.4 million for Jonas.

If the move was just to save money, and Valanciunas ends up being bought out by the Nuggets, it would be the second year in a row where the Kings made a salary saving trade just to have a player get bought out for a return overseas.

The Kings traded Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, and a second round pick to the Toronto Raptors last offseason for Jalen McDaniels. Shortly after the trade, Vezenkov was bought out, with the Raptors not having to pay him at all, and the Kings later dumped McDaniels along with more second round picks to get off his contract.

It's also possible that the Kings knew Valanciunas was considering a move to the Euroleague, and needed salary to be able to use in an upcoming trade.

The Kings are currently discussing sign and trade options for Jonathan Kuminga with the Golden State Warriors, and the latest report is that they're offering Devin Carter, Saric, and draft compensation for the young wing.

The money to make a sign and trade work with the Warriors is tight, and it could be that the proposed contract for Kuminga wouldn't have worked with a trade including Valanciunas. But all of this is just speculation on why the Kings may have traded him.

Either way, Valanciunas showed during his short stint with the Kings that he can still contribute when called upon. His starting days in the NBA may be behind him, but a move to the EuroLeague could get him back on the court more as he finishes out his professional basketball career.

That would be roughly $14.1 million for Valanciunas, which would potentially be more money than Valanciunas would make on his current NBA deal. He's under contract for $10.4 million next season for the Nuggets, but has a non-guaranteed deal for the 2026-27 season.