Jonas Valančiūnas was on the New York Knicks' radar to fill the void at center left by the departure of Ariel Hukporti, as SNY's Ian Begley reported last week. Denver waived the 34-year-old last week due to finances, allowing him to sign elsewhere. He did, just not with an NBA team. Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reported on Wednesday that the center signed a two-year EuroLeague deal.
Valančiūnas' NBA departure isn't surprising, as last offseason, after Denver traded for him, there was talk that he was seriously considering returning to the EuroLeague. It wasn't within his control then since he was under contract with the Nuggets for at least the 2025-26 season. The writing was on the wall that it would most likely be his last.
After Denver parted with him, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Valančiūnas would garner interest from several NBA teams. It would've been hard to beat the pull for him to go back home (not even being the third-string center for the reigning champions!), where he could play a bigger role than he would've had he stuck around in the Association.
Jonas Valanciunas leaves the NBA after 14 seasons, officially signing a two-year deal with EuroLeague side Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania.
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) July 15, 2026
More on BasketNews, including details on his expected salaryhttps://t.co/v9vYzbiJIX
Jonas Valanciunas is no longer an option for the Knicks
At this point in free agency, there aren't many suitable center options left on the market. For that reason, and given his ties to Leon Rose, it made sense for the Knicks to explore adding Valančiūnas to the roster as they prepare to run it back.
That's where it should've stopped, though. And it did, regardless of whether that was the outcome New York wanted.
A third-string center doesn't make or break a team, so it wouldn't have been the end of the world if the Knicks had lured Valančiūnas to New York. The thing is, he wouldn't have given them anything that Drummond can't. He's never been known as a good defender, and that has become even more the case as he has gotten older. He even played his way out of Denver's postseason rotation.
The Knicks have an open roster spot that they could use to add another center, perhaps Nick Richards, or they could go in a different direction. New York could always wait until after the season starts to trade for another big, seeing how the market looks in a few months. What we do know is that it won't be Valančiūnas who they turn to, and that's probably best for both sides, anyway.
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