On Wednesday, the Lithuanian EuroLeague team Zalgiris Kaunas announced the signing of NBA free agent Jonas Valanciunas to a two-year contract. Last week, the Denver Nuggets released Valanciunas, saving $8 million as they prepare for the 2026-27 NBA season. Although Valanciunas attracted interest from several NBA teams, he chose to return to Lithuania.
Valanciunas, 34, participated in 65 games during the 2025-26 season, serving as a backup center for Nikola Jokic. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds over 13.4 minutes per game. Valanciunas is expected to earn approximately $5.5 million over his two seasons with Zalgiris Kaunas, stated a report from BasketNews.
“WARNING: the paint is CLOSED until further notice. Jonas Valanciunas is back in his homeland,” Zalgiris Kaunas shared on social media. “The Lithuanian lightning strikes in Kaunas,” the team added. “All-time NBA Lithuanian top scorer Jonas Valanciunas signs a 2-year deal with Zalgiris!”
Before beginning his NBA career, Valanciunas played for two international clubs: Perlas Vilnius and Lietuvos rytas Vilnius. He was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He later played for the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, and Denver Nuggets.