The 2019 FIBA World Cup early roster has been released and it could be hinting at a return to the Memphis Grizzlies by center Jonas Valanciunas.
The Memphis Grizzlies are still awaiting a very important decision from center Jonas Valanciunas. The Lithuanian must decide whether he will opt into the final year of his contract (worth $17.6 million) or opt out and hit the NBA Free-Agency pool.
If Valanciunas were to choose the latter and partake in NBA Free-Agency, he would be one of the top centers available. Depending upon others’ player/team option decisions, he would potentially join top names such as Al Horford, Marc Gasol, Brook Lopez, Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Vucevic, Hassan Whiteside, and DeAndre Jordan. While there will not be a lot of NBA-All Stars on the market at this position, there are some very productive names to sift through if a team is searching for a new center.
Even considering his elite presence among the rest of the free-agent center crop, it is hard to imagine a team offering something more than $17.6 million for Jonas Valanciunas’ services. Yes, he was a double-double machine with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2018-19 season’s second-half. He is an incredible rebounder as well as a total bully on the drive to the basket. Yet, he has not yet been an NBA All-Star, and he has not been anything more than a third option at best in his NBA career.
Regardless, crazier things have happened, but it seems as if Jonas wants to be a part of a winning club while playing a significant (starting) role. He wants this so much that he will be willing to take a paycut, or so he has stated relative to negotiating a long-term deal with the Memphis Grizzlies if he were to opt out only to re-sign.
The latest update from Jonas Valanciunas to Lithuanian hoops reporter Donatas Urbonas did not provide much favoritism in either direction — to opt in or out. In fact, it sounds as if he will take his time all the way to the June 29th deadline to officially decide.
As this waiting game unfolds, Urbonas dropped another nugget on Thursday, which could very well be a leading indicator of Jonas Valanciunas’ impending contract decision. The reporter posted the 2019 FIBA World cup preliminary roster for the Lithuanian national team, which is headlined by Valanciunas.
Lithuania NT preliminary roster for FIBA World Cup 2019. Valanciunas, Sabonis, Gudaitis, Kuzminskas on the list, Donatas Motiejunas name is missing. pic.twitter.com/A3UCpWVBPW
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) June 6, 2019
For the Memphis Grizzlies fans who want to see Jonas return to the 901, this item of speculation provides hope. Typically, when a player is on the final year of a contract, they will avoid FIBA action in an attempt to remain healthy and to stay far away from injury.
With Jonas Valanciunas currently being on the roster, this hints that he will opt in with the Grizzlies as it would be guaranteed money, and if he were to sustain an injury in the FIBA World Cup, he would still earn his $17.6 million for the 2019-20 NBA season. If he were to opt out, the potential would exist for him to get injured in FIBA play while without an NBA contract. That is a lot of money and opportunity at stake for the 27-year-old center.
The key word here is “preliminary” roster, which means Valanciunas can still remove his name from the Lithuanian national team’s roster. Though the case could be Jonas wanting to put his name on the initial roster just to keep the possibility alive regardless of what he will ultimately choose, this item makes it look like a 51% chance of him returning to the Memphis Grizzlies.