The Sacramento Kings just finished a season that wasn’t particularly noteworthy, but it wasn’t awful either. With a final record of 40-42, they earned a spot as the ninth seed in the Western Conference and qualified for the NBA Play-In Tournament.
They lost to a shorthanded Dallas Mavericks club 120-106 in the first round, but that was as far as they would go. Doug Christie took over as interim head coach before being appointed full-time. Scott Perry was also named general manager by the Kings.
Jonas Valaciunas expected to make shocking decision after Kings trade
The Kings stayed busy during the NBA Draft despite not originally holding a first-round pick. They made a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire the No. 24 pick, which they used to select Nique Clifford from Colorado State. With the 42nd pick in the second round, they chose Stanford center Maxime Raynaud.
https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1940870538798502094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1940870538798502094%7Ctwgr%5Ef28d953ab05f979c8b00a78e523410439d3d5c63%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fathlonsports.com%2Fnba%2Fsacramento-kings%2Fjonas-valanciunas-expected-to-make-shocking-decision-after-kings-trade
Raynaud’s game closely resembles that of Domantas Sabonis, making him a logical fit as a backup. To help align their roster and free up salary, the Kings traded veteran center Jonas Valanciunas to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Dario Saric. However, unexpected news on Wednesday has surfaced that could impact Valanciunas’ next move and future in the league.
According to BasketNews, Jonas Valanciunas is on the verge of leaving the NBA to sign with Panathinaikos Athens of Greece. Just two days ago, Valanciunas was dealt to the Nuggets, but according to a post from ClutchPoints, he was enticed by Panathinaikos’ three-year, €12 million offer.
Valanciunas’ contract has two years and about $20.4 million remaining. In order to accept this deal, he is thinking about retiring from the NBA.
Even though Valanciunas hasn’t played for them, the Nuggets, who have spent this free agency period constructing for a push next season, would suffer a significant hit if he were to go down low.