Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas had a rollercoaster year last season after inking a three-year, $30 million contract with the Washington Wizards during the offseason. He signed that deal in July, but was already traded by February.
Well, on July 13, Valanciunas was traded again, this time to the Denver Nuggets. He has yet to commit to the team since.
Usually, this isn’t a big deal; in this case, it could be, largely because he’s also received a three-year, $36 million offer to play in Greece for Panathinaikos, which is much closer to home. Plus, it’s an offer for more money than he’s making now, and likely a starting role instead of being set to play backup to Nikola Jokic.
If that alone didn’t make Valanciunas’ future in Denver murky enough, take a peek at his comments from Monday when he arrived at training camp for the senior national team of Lithuania for the preparation of EuroBasket 2025.
When asked about his recent trade from the Sacramento Kings to the Nuggets, Valanciunas avoided the topic and responded with, “[Let’s talk about the national team.](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/eurobasket/1847954/jonas-valanciunas-avoids-questions-panathinaikos-denver-nuggets-euroleague-nba/)“
Later, when asked about Denver again, he replied, “I’ve been there, I’ve played several times.”
Even if he’s not ready to discuss it right now, Valanciunas says, “When I am sure, I will talk about everything.”
For the Nuggets, they hope that means talking about playing in Denver at least 41 times this season.
**Related: [Denver Nuggets pursued former No. 1 pick in free agency](https://sportsnaut.com/nba/denver-nuggets-pursued-former-no-1-pick-in-nba-free-agency/)**