Jonas Valanciunas says he is “completely busy” for the pepper, ending the speculation that he would have tried to leave the NBA to play in Greece

Jonas Valanciunas spoke.

He plans to play for Denver Nuggets.

Avalanciunas clarified his position on Monday for the first time since he was exchanged with the Nugget by the King Sacramento.

“I want to free the air on my game situation next season now that Denver made their decision to keep me,” said Valanciunas in Baskenews. “The idea of playing for Panathinaikos, closest to the house, was very exciting for me, but will have to wait.

“I am fully committed to honoring my contract with the Nugget this season and I will give the best to compete for a championship.”

Nuggets have acquired Avalanciunas to offer a relief so necessary for the three -time MVP center Nikola Jokić. But shortly after the trade of July 2, the news discovered that Valanciunas was courted by the Greek team Euroleague Panathinaikos, leading to the speculation that he would not play for Denver.

Announcement

Monday’s declaration should bring a conclusion to that speculation after Valanciunas previously had refused to commit himself to Denver when given the possibility.

Avalanciunas previously was not so clear

Valanciunas is under contract with Denver the second year of a three -year agreement of $ 30.3 million. Since the news of the interest of Panathinaikos for Avalanciunas, the Nuggets Brass have clarified that they intend to honor his contract.

“There was nothing more than healthy conversations in terms of honoring his contract and he was enthusiastic about being a pepper,” said the executive vice -president of Ben Tenzer’s basketball operations in a press conference last week.

The Avalanciunas contract extends its professional basketball rights exclusively to the NBA team that holds them. If he should sign with Panathinaikos, who is much closer to his country of origin of Lithuania, he could do it only with the blessing of a team of Nugget who has just exchanged for him.

Announcement

Avalanciunas had previously offered a non -demanding response when he was asked of the topic by the Lithuanian media.

“We will find out only when the first game is played,” Valanciunas said on July 8th. “Everything will be clear”.

[Get more Nuggets news: Denver team feed]

Once he became clear that Denver did not intend to free him from his contract, Valanciunas had little appeal to continue playing for a team that is not the Nugget. On Monday he clarified that he intends to report to Denver and “give him everything”.

Which is good news for the Nugget. The addition of Avalanciunas is a key piece of an offseason review that Nuggets’s hope will bring them back to the title dispute, three seasons after Jokić led the franchise to his only NBA championship.

Announcement

Key adding for pepper

Jokić played 36.7 minutes per game last season, most of his career of over two minutes per game. He did it because the nugget were missing from an effective backup center and the pepper were significantly worse when Jokić was out of the floor.

Jokić faced physical matchups in the pole in a couple of exhausting series of seven -games playoffs when he has combined the Ivica Zubac Clippers Center and the Thunder Center Isaiah Hartentein. Without a practicable backup, Jokić’s minutes increased in the post -Station at 40.2 per game.

At 6 feet-11 and 265 pounds, avalanciunas is a physical presence in the pole that can provide Jokić with such necessary relief in similar situations. It was an impact player for the Kings and Wizards last season, with averages of 10.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in just 18.8 minutes per game.

Announcement

Avalanciunas joins Cam Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown as new faces to Denver of the team of last season which brought the possible champion Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in a series of playoffs of the second closely contested round.