Jonas Valanciunas, it's clearer now more than ever, is perfectly content to be playing for the Memphis Grizzlies. Just because his midseason trade from the Toronto Raptors turned out for the best, though, hardly means he didn't feel complicated emotions after his longtime former team, after so many disappointing years of contention, finally took the Larry O'Brien Trophy to north of the border.
As he admitted to Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas, Valanciunas felt feelings of pride and resentment while watching the Raptors dethrone the injury-ravaged Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
“I was thrilled, but a bit annoyed at the same time,” he said. “I’m really happy for Toronto because they were my family for 7 years. But, of course, it was sad that I wasn’t part of that team in the Finals.”
Toronto sent Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles, and a 2024 second-round pick to Memphis in exchange for Marc Gasol as the trade deadline, a move that helped propel the Raptors to their first championship in franchise history. Gasol was one of Toronto's most consistently effective two-way performers in the Finals, always promoting ball and player movement offensively and offering well-positioned help on the other end.
Jonas Valanciunas enjoyed a different kind of success with Memphis, thriving individually while his new team began phasing into rebuilding. He averaged 19.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in 19 appearances for the Grizzlies, career-best numbers while maintaining solid efficiency and upping his usage rate. Memphis' new front office clearly liked it saw from Valanciunas, too, signing him to a three-year, $45 million contract earlier this week.
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