One of the deals that made the Denver Nuggets a winner this offseason was trading for Jonas Valanciunas. He would be the best backup center of the Nikola Jokic era in Denver…
Except Valanciunas reportedly wanted to play in Europe. He spoke with officials from Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos about a return to Europe, and they reportedly were willing to offer three years, $13 million, which would make him one of the highest-paid players on the continent.
The problem is it’s not Valanciunas’ call. Nor Panathinaikos. It’s Denver’s. Valanciunas can’t abandon his two-year, $20.4 million contract and quit the Nuggets. There are FIBA rules about such things.
The Nuggets informed Valanciunas’ representatives that “the franchise fully intends to have him honor his contract,” reports ESPN’s Shams Charania. If Denver sticks to its guns on this, the conversation is over.
While this could be a negotiating tactic by the Nuggets, don’t bet on it. Denver wants to contend next season, and Valanciunas is too valuable a player for the Nuggets to just let walk away. For years, Denver’s biggest Achilles’ heel has been the team’s non-Jokic minutes — Valanciunas can help turn that tide (especially when paired with Bruce Brown, Peyton Watson and the emerging Julian Strawther). Also, because Valanciunas is very skilled at dribble handoffs and short midrange shots (inside 15 feet), the Nuggets don’t have to switch up their offensive scheme when Jokic is out.
The road to Valanciunas playing in Greece next season is long and requires the cooperation of Denver. Under FIBA rules (the governing body of international basketball), a player under contract, such as Valanciunas, needs a FIBA “letter of clearance” to sign with another team. (For the record, this rule applies to European teams trying to sign NBA players, or NBA teams trying to sign European players.) In this case, it would mean Valanciunas and the Nuggets would have to agree to a buyout, freeing him from his contract (the Nuggets would likely expect him to give up all of that money). After that, FIBA would issue the letter and Valanciunas could sign.
The question is, why would Denver do that?
More likely than not, Denver will bring back Valanciunas this season and see how it plays out. A year from now, maybe Denver and Valanciunas work out a buyout, but the Nuggets upgraded this offseason and are serious contenders for another ring. They aren’t going to let Valanciunas simply walk away.
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