Should Pelicans Pursue a Reunion With Newly Released FA Jonas Valanciunas?

Former New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas was released by the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The 34-year-old center was due $10 million from the Nuggets, but the team decided to save the cap space by parting ways with the veteran, although they will still have to pay him $2 million.

During his lone season in Denver, Valanciunas averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in 65 appearances. Several teams will surely want to vie for his services, but could the Pelicans be a team Valanciunas reunites with?

New Orleans acquired the Lithuanian-born center in 2021 via a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies that involved Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, and a first-round pick.

Valanciunas spent three seasons with the Pelicans, averaging 14.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. In his final season in New Orleans, he played a career-high 82 games, helping the Pelicans to a 49-win season, the second-most in franchise history. The team made the playoffs that season, but were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. Valanciunas was the team’s second-leading scorer in the playoffs, averaging 14.5 points per contest.

The Pelicans traded the 6-foot-11 center that summer to the Washington Wizards in exchange for a second-round pick. Since his departure, New Orleans has had a void in the middle of its lineup, opting for more small-ball lineups rather than trotting out a traditional center.

In the last two seasons, the Pelicans have ranked 27th and 28th in defensive rebounding percentage. In the three seasons Valanciunas was on the team, New Orleans never ranked lower than seventh in the category. Clearly, the Pelicans have suffered on the glass with their smaller lineups, but should they make a run to bring him back?

Valanciunas spent last season with a viable contender, and he’d likely look to join another if he plans to remain in the NBA. Reports are that the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers may be interested in a veteran on a minimum contract, drawn by the allure of competing for a championship.

The Pelicans are nowhere near a championship-level team, so their only appeal over, say, a team like the Knicks, would be an offer above the minimum and the familiarity with some of his former teammates and the organization. There have even been rumors suggesting that Valanciunas may play overseas next season.

"He's one of the pillars of our team"

-Coach Green on Jonas Valanciunas pic.twitter.com/v4UEoszYpL
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 2, 2024

Pelicans Need a More Athletic Center Than Jonas Valanciunas

While the former first-round pick has marginally improved his three-point shooting, the veteran's last two seasons have been woeful from beyond the arc, shooting 30% or less during that stretch. With down-low scorers in Derik Queen and Zion Williamson on the roster, having a true stretch big paired with that duo is more beneficial for the Pelicans moving forward.

New Orleans already signed 37-year-old DeAndre Jordan this offseason, so signing another older veteran center doesn’t quite mesh with the athletic youth movement currently happening in New Orleans. The Pelicans should look to get bigger and faster, not older and slower.

There may still be viable moves to make in acquiring a player like that via trade. Guards Dejounte Murray and Jordan Poole each are due to make north of $30 million this season, meaning a trade may take place this season to move off those contracts. Poole’s contract is an expiring deal, so the appeal of future cap relief, with maybe an asset from the Pelicans, could sway a team to make a deal for one of their bigs to New Orleans.

The initial appeal of bringing back a familiar face like Valanciunas seems intriguing. Peeling back the onion layers leaves the Pelicans probably better off acquiring a younger, more athletic center to add depth to their frontcourt.

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