Jonas Valanciunas is not heading to Lithuania – and that is meaningful news for the New York Knicks, who have been linked to the 14-year NBA veteran after he was waived by the Denver Nuggets. A report circulated on social media Monday claiming Valanciunas had agreed to sign with Žalgiris Kaunas, the Lithuanian club that had been showing interest. He dismissed it immediately.
Valanciunas Shuts Down Overseas Reports
Valanciunas responded directly on Instagram, with the post captured in reporting by Justin Grasso at Heavy. He wrote: “You wake up and everything is decided for you, in reality you don’t even need to make decisions yourself😀 thank you year reporters😀😀😀.”
That denial keeps him on the market. It also keeps the Knicks in play – and according to SNY insider Ian Begley, Valanciunas held conversations with the Knicks back in 2024, and he remains among the centers on their radar entering this offseason.
Why the Knicks Need Center Depth Right Now
The center position in New York is not what it was twelve months ago. Mitchell Robinson hit free agency and signed a three-year, $47.4 million deal with the Boston Celtics, removing a reliable interior presence from the roster. The Knicks responded by cutting Ariel Hukporti and bringing in former Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond.
Drummond averaged 6.4 points and 8.4 rebounds across 63 games with Philadelphia last season, starting 25 of them. He is a functional backup option. He is not a plug-and-play upgrade on Robinson, and the Knicks appear to know that.
Karl-Anthony Towns anchors the position up top, and that is not a concern. The issue is what happens in his backup minutes, in the playoffs, and in foul trouble situations. Valanciunas addresses all three of those scenarios with experience that Drummond cannot fully replicate.
What Valanciunas Brings to a Championship Contender
In 65 games with Denver last season, Valanciunas averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in just 13.4 minutes per game backing up Nikola Jokic. Those numbers are suppressed by the role, not by the player. He is a legitimate interior scorer and rebounder when given real minutes, which the Knicks would provide more readily than the Nuggets ever could.
His playoff role in Denver was minimal – just 6.3 minutes across four games – but that reflects the Nuggets’ depth at the position, not a decline in his capabilities. The Knicks are recent champions. They are an attractive destination for a veteran who wants a legitimate shot at another ring on his own terms.
A minimum deal makes the acquisition straightforward financially. The competitive question is whether Valanciunas accepts a backup role behind Towns, knowing he would immediately enter a depth battle with Drummond. Fantasy managers tracking the Knicks‘ roster construction should monitor how that competition resolves – rotation clarity at center has real implications for New York‘s frontcourt production, a theme playing out across the league as teams finalize rosters ahead of training camp, with summer league performances already shaping evaluation decisions.
The Knicks Have a Narrow Window
The window here is not wide open indefinitely. European clubs are aggressive, and the Žalgiris report – even if premature – signals that overseas interest is real and ongoing. New York needs to define the role on offer and make a compelling case quickly. Valanciunas has options, and the longer this drags, the more those options multiply.
The probability breakdown on his next destination sits around 60/40 in favor of an NBA landing spot, with the Knicks as the most frequently named team. That number shifts sharply toward Europe if no contender offers him guaranteed rotation minutes. New York has the opportunity and the roster need. The next move belongs to Leon Rose.
