Memphis Grizzlies: Jonas Valanciunas Provides Preliminary NBA Free-Agency Thoughts

By the end of the 2018-19 season, the Memphis Grizzlies’ Jonas Valanciunas will have to make a decision on his contract’s player option. Is he leaning toward staying or leaving?

Following February’s NBA Trade Deadline, the Memphis Grizzlies landed a veteran piece that has allowed them to remain competitive. That key piece — Jonas Valanciunas — could soon decide to make Memphis his permanent home via an NBA Free-Agency decision.

On Monday, within an impressive 115-103 home victory over the star-studded Oklahoma City Thunder, Valanciunas propelled the Grizzlies with 18 points (6/12 shooting), 14 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks in 32 minutes. He was a +19 on the night while holding OKC’s Steven Adams to just two points on 1/7 shooting to go with eight rebounds.

This is who Jonas Valanciunas is. A bully in the paint. A brute. The Memphis Grizzlies and their fans quickly found this out once he made his debut with them following the infamous trade which sent Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors. Now, they would like to keep him — preferably long-term.

During a postgame interview with Valanciunas, The Athletic‘s Peter Edmiston poked an off-topic question toward the 7’0″ center. Edmiston attempted to gain insight into Jonas’ preliminary decision involving the player option on his contract, which would release him into the NBA Free-Agency pool if he were to decline the option.

Jonas Valanciunas’ answer is more of a response than you will find from most NBA players during the season prior to potentially entering NBA Free-Agency. It is clearly on his mind, while a lot of players will decline questions until the offseason officially arrives for themselves.

Though Jonas Valanciunas would be crazy to not opt into the $17.6 million that awaits him in the 2019-20 season (the final year of his current contract), he could very well decline with hopes to sign a long-term deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, which is the idea Edmiston was referencing.

It is clear that Jonas enjoys Memphis. He was welcomed with open arms. His play has flourished, too. As long as he is logging minutes and receiving a consistent role of importance, it seems as if Valanciunas will be more than happy regardless of market size.

His blue collar game fits exceptionally well with the Grizzlies, which has made Grizz Nation do occasional double-takes of “is that Zach Randolph?!” He has notched a double-double in nine of 16 games spent as a Grizzly while boasting Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 24.1.

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The most unlikely scenario as of April 27th appears to be Jonas Valanciunas declining to exercise his player option and entering NBA Free-Agency on the open market. The money is there for him. Young talent is around him. He has captured a starting role. What more could he want at nearly 27 years of age?

For the Memphis Grizzlies, negotiating a long-term deal with Valanciunas would be selfish, but excellent if it happens. Decreasing the amount owed per year in Jonas’ deal would give additional financial flexibility in future seasons to spend elsewhere to complete the roster. Yet, while Memphis prepares for Year One of their rebuild project, they can afford to be patient.

Jonas Valanciunas’ presence on the Grizzlies’ roster will further boost the franchise toward another playoff appearance. It would keep fans in seats, which is huge for a small-market club such as the Memphis Grizzlies. The majority of the fan base would rather watch the Grizzlies become a middle-of-the-pack club with a slight chance of a postseason appearance rather than being a tanking bottom-feeder of a team in 2019-20.

While the upcoming offseason is sure to bring much chaos to the Memphis Grizzlies’ organization, it is comforting to see a great veteran player being willing to discuss a long-term deal after just 16 games spent with the squad. Because of this, Jonas will continue to collect fans in Memphis, Tennessee. This can be his home, but it is up to him to determine how long. The ball is in his court.