Report: Valanciunas leaves Lithuania to explore extension with Raptors
An extension is reportedly in the works between center Jonas Valanciunas and the Toronto Raptors.
Valanciunas has taken a leave from the Lithuanian national team in order to return to Toronto to firm up an extension, reports ESPN's Marc Stein. The sides have until Oct. 31 to work out a deal, otherwise Valanciunas will become a restricted free agent next summer.
In line with this summer's benchmark deal for restricted free agent Enes Kanter, Stein estimates the extension - which wouldn't kick in until 2016-17 - at more than $60 million over four years.
Valanciunas has spent August training with the Lithuanian national team in anticipation of the upcoming Eurobasket 2015 tournament.
The Raptors selected Valanciunas fifth overall in 2011. After spending a season overseas, Valanciunas has shown great promise and tremendous improvement across his first three NBA seasons.
Last year, Valanciunas averaged 12 points and 8.7 rebounds in 26.2 minutes while shooting 57.2 percent from the field and 78.6 percent from the line. Those numbers were good for a scorching true-shooting percentage of 62.3, with a PER of 20.3.
Valanciunas flourished in the post last season, scoring a league-leading 1.02 points per post up in 306 possessions, per NBA Stats. He doesn't have much range and is a hesitant jumpshooter, but he's working on adding a midrange shot this summer.
Defensively, Valanciunas ranks as a slow-footed defender best suited to protecting the basket. His limited mobility renders him ineffective in guarding the perimeter on switches or high hedges, but he's a decent defender at the basket. He held opponents to 46.5 percent shooting around the hoop last season.
Still, the dollar figure is reflective of the Raptors' confidence. They're paying a premium for what Valanciunas currently provides, but there's plenty of potential in the 23-year-old and there's good sense in locking him in for his age 24 to 27 seasons.
Tacking on more than $15 million per year for Valanciunas eats into most of the Raptors' financial flexibility next summer. The Raptors will have nearly $60 million in guaranteed salaries in 2016 and will have decisions to make regarding a likely unrestricted free-agent-to-be in DeMar DeRozan.