The Memphis Grizzlies traded for Jonas Valanciunas at the deadline and he made an impact with the team. He has made it known he is interested in returning to the team next season.
Jonas Valanciunas was absolutely dominant during his team with the Memphis Grizzlies, so much so that he would like to return next season. He is going to make Memphis a priority when he goes through his options in free agency.
Jonas Valanciunas says he preference is to stay in Memphis. He has a $17.6 million player option
— Offseason O (@omarisankofa) April 11, 2019
He was a big fan of J.B. Bickerstaff so we’ll have to wait and see how he reacts to him being gone, but he was given a chance to shine with this team so he will still at the very least strongly consider re-signing.
Turning down that $17.6 million player option will be tough if that’s what he decides to do. He could turn it down in hopes of receiving a similar deal long-term. He likely wouldn’t get that much, but he does have a chance to receive close to that on a three or four-year deal.
The only reason he is considering turning that down is because of how well he played to end the season. It was a shame that we weren’t able to see him alongside some of their key players such as Jaren Jackson Jr., but we did see him and Mike Conley play well together as they both filled up the stat sheet.
His time with the Toronto Raptors was pretty similar in each season. It seemed as if he was stuck in a similar role averaging about 12 points and 9 rebounds per game. He has had some health issues, but for the most part, his progression has been stunted for other reasons.
Valanciunas was the main piece involved being sent to Memphis in the trade that sent Marc Gasol to Toronto. They also got some other solid players in C.J. Miles and Delon Wright who both made an impact as well, but it is Valanciunas who has the fans most excited.
He played in just 19 games, but he was a star during those games. He averaged 19.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game. His play has fans very excited about the future of this team, as he and Jaren Jackson Jr. could form one of the best big man duos in the game.
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He had many dominant games this season such as his 23 points and 24 rebounds against the Orlando Magic, but his best game was when he put up his career-high in scoring in a road win against the Phoenix Suns.
In that game, he showcased all of the skill that he has as he was effective in so many different ways. He scored his career-high 34 points, but he was also impactful in other areas as he also finished with 20 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.
11 of those rebounds came on the offensive end as he was completely dominant in the paint. He also was efficient offensively as he finished 16-28 shooting from the field. Mike Conley also had a big game in that one as he finished with 33 points as the Grizzlies picked up the win 120-115.
Another part of Valanciunas’ decision is that he really enjoyed playing with Conley. They played really well together and you can tell those two bonded in just a short amount of time. So if the Grizzlies do decide to trade Conley, maybe he will consider other options.
He really enjoyed playing in Memphis and was able to play a large role unlike when he was in Toronto. If the new coach prioritizes him as much as J.B. Bickerstaff did then I’m sure he would be more than willing to committing to the Grizzlies long-term.
The Memphis Grizzlies have a solid group of young players to build around and Jonas Valanciunas can be the center for the long-term. Re-signing him should be their #1 priority for their roster, that is after getting an experienced head coach as well as trustworthy leaders in the front office.