Last offseason, the Denver Nuggets traded for Jonas Valančiūnas, but the move was met with some controversy because he was interested in returning to the EuroLeague. Because he was under contract for at least one more season in the NBA, that wasn't in his control, but this summer, he was in control of his future after the team waived him.
On Wednesday, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reported that the 34-year-old signed a two-year deal with EuroLeague's Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania. He will return home.
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
Valančiūnas' NBA career began in 2011 when the Raptors selected him with the No. 5 overall pick; the following season, he made his debut. He was with Toronto until 2018, when the team traded him to Memphis. Since then, the big man also suited up for New Orleans, Washington, Sacramento, and, of course, Denver.
Since it's official that he will return to the Euroleague, it looks like his final NBA game happened in a Nuggets uniform.
Jonas Valanciunas signs deal to return to the EuroLeague
After the Nuggets waived Valančiūnas, giving him $2 million in the process, which is a pretty good parting gift, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the big man would get interest from several teams. As reported by SNY's Ian Begley, he was on the Knicks' radar as a third-string center option.
Who knows if New York actually offered him the team's final roster spot, possibly giving him the chance to reunite with Leon Rose and help the Knicks run it back? Even if that were the case, the allure of returning to the EuroLeague, where he could have a larger role than he would have had he stayed in the NBA, could've been too much for Valančiūnas to resist.
He hung around with the Nuggets in the league for a season longer than he might've originally preferred, but he said he was on board with doing whatever to help Denver in its quest for another championship. Unfortunately, things didn't shake out that way, but at least he can say he got to play alongside Nikola Jokić.
Now that he's back in the EuroLeague, it probably is the end of the road for Valančiūnas' time in the NBA after 14 seasons, giving him the chance to end his professional basketball career on his own terms, back where it started.
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