Valanciunas leaves NBA after signing in Lithuania
By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Veteran center Jonas Valanciunas concluded his 14-year NBA career after signing with Lithuanian powerhouse Zalgiris Kaunas, a development confirmed July 15, 2026.
With the offseason move, Valanciunas officially left the Denver Nuggets and is set for a homecoming once the Lithuanian Basketball League begins later this year.
The Nuggets’ front office previously met with Valanciunas and his representatives in 2025, urging him to honor the second year of his contract for the 2025-26 season.
Valanciunas signed a three-year, USD 30 million contract with the Washington Wizards in 2024, and the final season carried a USD 10 million salary, but the Nuggets waived the big man July 8, 2026, before the amount became fully guaranteed.
The reigning NBA champion New York Knicks expressed interest in acquiring Valanciunas after Mitchell Robinson’s departure, but multiple reports confirmed that the center had arrived in Lithuania and was fully committed to joining Zalgiris Kaunas.
Across his 14-year NBA career, Valanciunas was widely regarded as one of the league’s most consistent big men, averaging 12.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 1,002 games.
The former NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection was selected fifth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2011 NBA draft, spending his first seven seasons in the Eastern Conference.
Primarily a paint presence early in his career, Valanciunas gradually evolved into a perimeter threat, developing a reliable midrange arsenal during his time with Toronto.
However, the Raptors traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2019 as part of the Marc Gasol deal.
Valanciunas then bounced around the league, playing for the New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, and Denver Nuggets.
With 26 Lithuanian league championships, five Soviet Union League titles, and one EuroLeague title, Zalgiris is the most decorated basketball club in Lithuania’s history.
Valanciunas will team up with former NBA players Nigel Williams-Goss and Carsen Edwards, while Ignas Brazdeikis has left Zalgiris for Unicaja.
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