Jonas Valanciunas Articles - Page 5

On Valentine’s Day, Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas delivered a cheap shot on Sacramento Kings big man Chimezie Metu after a dunk. As a result of the play, Metu broke his wrist and will now be out for a few weeks. After the report of Metu’s injury surfaced, Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic called […]

Sunday night’s matchup between the Sacramento Kings and the Memphis Grizzlies involved a bit of a heated moment between Chimezie Metu and Jonas Valanciunas. The (semi/almost) altercation ultimately led to Metu suffering a broken wrist in a play that has been called out by Sacramento head coach Luke Walton. Metu poesterized Valanciunas late in the […]

Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas is not the type of guy who just lets things slide. The slotman from Lithuania proved that in the their 124-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on Sunday. While getting dunked on is usually a normal occurrence for even the NBA’s best shot-blockers, Valanciunas didn’t take […]

The Memphis Grizzlies will be without their formidable center Jonas Valanciunas for some time. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Valanciunas has entered the league’s health and safety protocol, likely meaning that he’s been at risk of coming in contact with someone who’s tested positive for COVID-19. Memphis C Jonas Valanciunas has entered the league's health […]

Memphis Grizzlies big man Jonas Valanciunas has expanded his offensive repertoire over the couple of years, and on Friday, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid found that out the hard way. During an exhibition game between the Grizzlies and 76ers on Friday afternoon, Embiid essentially dismissed Valanciunas’ ability to hit a three-pointer. Valanciunas responded by draining […]

The Golden State Warriors’ $17.2 million trade exception (TPE) is set to expire on Oct. 24. The franchise received the TPE as part of the Andre Iguodala trade with the Memphis Grizzlies last summer. The Dubs were forced to trade the former Finals MVP to Memphis in order to create cap space to sign D’Angelo […]

Having entered the NBA as an expansion team in 1995, the Toronto Raptors are a relatively young franchise. Still, the team has sent out several great centers over the years. In this piece, we’ll highlight who we believe to be the five best. No. 5 Marcus Camby The Raptors drafted Camby with the second overall […]

Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas and Sacramento Kings big man Harry Giles nearly came to blows on Friday night at the FedEx Forum. With under six minutes left in regulation of the heated battle, the two big men figured in a physical confrontation down low. The 7-foot Lithuanian corralled an offensive rebound and proceeded to […]

Portland Trail Blazers big man Hassan Whiteside was ready to use his fists after Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas threatened to throw the ball at him. Whiteside spiked a follow-up slam over Valanciunas during the Grizzlies’ 111-104 win over the Blazers on Wednesday. Whiteside slightly nudged Valanciunas and the latter didn’t seem to like it. […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are getting big man Jonas Valanciunas back on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls. Valanciunas missed the previous two games for the Grizzlies with flu-like symptoms. Grizz coach Taylor Jenkins says Jonas Valanciunas will play and Kyle Anderson will sit out as he continues to work through heel soreness. Jonas missed the past […]

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell is not a fan of flopping, and he made sure Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas knew that on Friday. The pair figured in a brief commotion in  Utah’s 103-94 win over Memphis after Mitchell confronted the 6-foot-11 Lithuanian center and mocked him for flailing his arms to get a call […]

The Toronto Raptors had a number of players on their roster at the start of the 2018-19 season that were no longer with the team when they hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. Unfortunately for Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright and C.J. Miles, they will not receive championship rings as former members of the Raptors. […]

Shots are not falling from downtown for Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon to start the season, so he decided to vent his ire on Memphis Grizzlies big man Jonas Valanciunas. The Rockets’ 30-year-old sniper dished out quite the highlight in the team’s away game versus the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Around the eight-minute mark of […]

Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. is one of the best dunkers in the NBA. Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas found that out the hard way on Wednesday. Down in South Beach, Jones posterized Valanciunas during the Heat-Grizzlies game. Take a look: DJJ JUST THREW IT IN 🤭🤭🤭 pic.twitter.com/aogIRyeQhA — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 24, […]

The Memphis Grizzlies received contributions from Ja Morant well before he suited up for meaningful minutes. Morant’s potential convinced Jonas Valanciunas to re-sign with the team on a three-year $45 million contract, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic. “Valanciunas said he signed his deal because he believed in Morant’s potential. And with the […]

Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas has no structural damage in his foot, but he won’t play in the remaining preseason games, according to David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Valanciunas has been dealing with foot soreness. The Grizzlies don’t appear to be worried. There are no structural issues with Jonas Valanciunas’ foot, according to […]

Jonas Valanciunas is heading into his 8th season in the NBA, and his first full year with the Memphis Grizzlies. The eminently hirsute big man of the Grizz was traded from his longtime club the Toronto Raptors as part of the Marc Gasol, which seemed to work out well for both sides. Now, as the […]

As he embarks on his first full season with the Memphis Grizzlies, Jonas Valanciunas wants to form the best frontcourt in the league with Jaren Jackson Jr. To recall, Valanciunas was traded to the Grizzlies from the Toronto Raptors in February 2019. Over the summer, the Lithuanian center inked a three-year, $45 million deal with […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are officially turning the page on the history books of their franchise this coming season. Gone are long-time servant Mike Conley (traded to the Utah Jazz in the offseason) and Mark Gasol (traded to the Toronto Raptors last February), which puts an end to one of, if not the most memorable eras […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are officially entering a new era in the 2019-20 season. Gone are long-time servants Mark Gasol and Mike Conley, with the team now focusing on youth and looking towards a potentially bright future ahead of them. The Grizzlies are not expected to be competitive in the upcoming season, as they continue the […]

For Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, Jonas Valanciunas is ‘one of the best bigs’ in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Valanciunas, who’s representing Lithuania in the quadrennial affair, worked with Nurse for several years with the Toronto Raptors before he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in the middle of the 2018-19 season. By […]

Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas hopes to make a bigger impact with the team next season by taking on the ‘old guy’ role. Valanciunas was traded to the Grizzles back in February, and he already assumed the lead role on both ends of the floor. He averaged 19.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in […]

As Canada prepares for their must-win game versus Lithuania on Monday, head coach Nick Nurse said that he plans to give Jonas Valanciunas and his team the good old-fashioned beating. “Obviously love Jonas, but I’m going to try to kick his ass tomorrow,” Nurse said, per Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. When Valanciunas heard […]

Even though he wasn’t officially part of the Toronto Raptors roster that won the NBA championship last season, former center Jonas Valanciunas remains hopeful that he’ll still get a ring. Per TSN, Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry asked Valanciunas via text what his ring size is. There is, however, no official word yet from the […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the most active teams in the offseason thus far. The front office have been extremely busy and have pulled the trigger on various deals that likewise have varying implications for the team moving forward. Below, we highlight the three biggest takeaways from the Grizzlies’ offseason dealings thus far, […]

Eyebrows raised when the Memphis Grizzlies re-signed Jonas Valanciunas to a three-year, $45 million contract in free agency. Not because the seven-year pro, coming off arguably his best season in the NBA, isn’t worth that salary in a vacuum, but due to the fact that rising star Jaren Jackson Jr. will be best utilized at […]

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 […]

One of the best things that can happen to a player in any sport is a midseason trade that lands them on a championship contender. Boston Red Sox outfielder Steve Pearce was traded to Beantown at the end of June last year, and would eventually be named the World Series MVP. After over a decade […]

Jonas Valanciunas agreed to re-sign with the Memphis Grizzlies on a three-year contract worth $45 million on the first day of free agency. Valanciunas says the Grizzlies are rebuilding, but that the team is young and has a bright future: Valanciunas on his new deal with Memphis: “I wanted to settle down in one place […]

With NBA free agency season upon us (and really almost passed us), it’s time to do what we all do every year and examine which contracts are the best, and which are the worst. Naturally, we are going to start with the worst, because, you know, of course. To be fair, we do live in […]

When the Memphis Grizzlies traded Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors for Jonas Valanciunas, C.J. Miles, Delon Wright and a future second-round pick, they appeared to be headed for a total rebuild. That notion was confirmed a little over a week ago, when Memphis dealt franchise point guard Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz. Valanciunas […]

Toronto Raptors president for basketball operations Masai Ujiri is definitely the man of the moment, with the 48-year-old team executive widely considered to have been the driving force behind Toronto’s unprecedented championship run. Nonetheless, Ujiri certainly knows how to give credit where it is due, as he continued to highlight the contributions of DeMar DeRozan, […]

After an impressive second half of the season with the Memphis Grizzlies, Jonas Valanciunas announced that he would not pick up his player option for the 2019-2020 season. Valanciunas has to be looking for a long-term deal and is willing to leave money on the table in exchange for job security. With that in mind, […]

Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas plans to decline his $17.6 million player-option for the 2019-20 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. While he will become an unrestricted free agent, his primary intention is to negotiate a new deal with Memphis, where he flourished after being traded for Marc Gasol prior to the deadline, averaging 19.9 […]

Jonas Valanciunas has a $17.6 million player option which he can opt into to remain with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2019-20 season. According to Lithuanian basketball journalist Donatas Urbonas, Valanciunas has yet to decide whether he will opt in or not. The 27-year old Lithuanian big man added that the next head coach will […]

Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas says Sarunas Jasikevicius deserves an NBA head coaching job. Per Lithuanian basketball journalist Donatas Urbonas, Valanciunas said that Zalgiris head coach Jasikevicius — who has been on the radar of different NBA teams including the Grizzlies — has what it takes to coach in the NBA level. Memphis asked me […]

Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas has a pretty interesting guess on how the Eastern Conference Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and his former team, the Toronto Raptors, will turn out. There has been plenty of hype built around the matchup of forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard. According to Donatas Urbonas of O, Dangau Sportas, […]

Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas believes Toronto Raptors small forward Kawhi Leonard and Milwaukee Bucks swingman Giannis Antetokounmpo “can reach LeBron’s level” if they continue to improve their games. While LeBron James is still universally recognized as the best player in basketball, Leonard, Giannis and Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant are closing in on […]

Jonas Valanciunas was mostly forgotten last season. After acclimating even better than anticipated to a new role coming off the bench for the Toronto Raptors, the veteran center was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies at the deadline in exchange for Marc Gasol, a deal that proved its worth for Nick Nurse’s in the Eastern Conference […]