Jonas Valanciunas is expected to join a new team this summer.
The former Raptors big man is set to hit unrestricted free agency. According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Valanciunas is not expected to re-sign with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Valanciunas played in all 82 games for the Pelicans this past season. He averaged 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He saw his minutes decrease to 19.3 per game following the all-star break when the Pelicans decided to give Larry Nance Jr. more playing time.
“I’d be pretty surprised if he was back because of how they were treating his spot in the rotation late in the season,” said Will Guillory of The Athletic.
Right now the Sacramento Kings are the favorites to land Valanciunas this offseason, per Bovada:
The Sacramento Kings are the favorites to win the Jonas Valanciunas sweepstakes, per @BovadaOfficial
Sacramento Kings: +400
Los Angeles Clippers: +500
Charlotte Hornets: +550
Utah Jazz: +550
Chicago Bulls: +550
Washington Wizards: +650
Oklahoma City Thunder: +650
Brooklyn Nets:… pic.twitter.com/BNFLEZUohC— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 18, 2024
All the way at the bottom of the list are the Toronto Raptors with +2800 odds. Valanciunas was drafted by the Raptors 5th overall in 2011. He spent 7 seasons with Toronto before he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Marc Gasol in 2019. Gasol was the final piece to the Raptors 2019 championship team.
In 2024 Valanciunas returning to the Raptors doesn’t make much much sense. It seems unlikely that the Raptors would clear up cap space for the 32-year-old big man.
The Raptors already have Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk on multi-year deals and adding another veteran big man wouldn’t be a smart decision by a rebuilding team. Also he wouldn’t be a good fit on the Raptors since he is limited with his three-point shooting. The Raptors would be better off adding a younger big man who can space the floor.
Raptors won’t start next season with both Bruce Brown and Gary Trent Jr. on roster
The Raptors have plenty of important decisions to make this offseason.
The team needs to decide what they want to do with the likes of Bruce Brown and Gary Trent Jr. According to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, he believes Trent Jr. is more likely to stay on the Raptors roster than Brown going into next season.
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