Jonas Valanciunas has only been on the roster for the Memphis Grizzlies since being traded from the Toronto Raptors in February as part of the deal that included Marc Gasol, but his future with the franchise now seems less certain. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Valanciunas will decline his player option for next season in favor of attempting to re-negotiate a deal to keep him in Memphis.
Sources: Memphis center Jonas Valanciunas plans to decline the $17.6M option on 2019-20 contract, clearing way to become a free agent. His primary intention will be to negotiate a new deal with Memphis, where he averaged 19.9 PPG and 10.7 RPG after February trade from Toronto.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 13, 2019
A seven-year NBA veteran out of Lithuania, Valanciunas’ contributions to the Grizzlies couldn’t help the team into the playoffs, with the team finishing with a record of 33-49 in twelfth place in the Western Conference. If Valanciunas ends up staying with the Grizzlies next season, their hopes for a turnaround under new coach Taylor Jenkins will be boosted by having the second overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
