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A year ago, there were reports that Jonas Valanciunas wanted to negotiate a buyout with Denver so he could sign with Greek side Panathinaikos, except that the Nuggets didn’t want to let their primary backup to Nikola Jokic walk.
A few weeks ago, the Nuggets bought out Valanciunas, and that has opened the door for the veteran big man to head home and play for Lithuanian side Zalgiris Kaunas, the team announced. There had been conflicting reports in the last 48 hours about whether he had signed the deal, but it is now official.
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Valanciunas played more than 1,000 NBA games across 14 seasons, averaging 12.8 points and nine rebounds a game in his career. Last season, in 65 games with the Nuggets, averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds a night.
Denver moved on and signed Marvin Bagley III to fill the Jokic backup role next season. While Valanciunas spoke to several NBA teams about a return, it was always expected he would return to Europe for next season.
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/jonas-valanciunas-stepping-away-nba-203222687.html
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Publish date : 2026-07-15 20:32:00
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