Raptors sign centre Valanciunas to extension

The Toronto Raptors and center Jonas Valanciunas are in advanced discussions on a four-year contract extension worth in excess of $60 million, according to league sources.

There’s no word on what would “escalate” Valanciunas’ deal to that $70 million range, but one has to assume that it’s incentives that probably include something like making All-Star or All-NBA teams.

He finished the 2014-2015 season averaging a career-high 12 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.

Prorating his averages to their per-36-minute equivalents would yield averages of 16.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. While Valanciunas hasn’t quite lived up to fantasy owners’ expectations, he’s still just 23 years old and is a solid mid-round target in standard league drafts. Now we just gotta bring it to the court and do our job.

He told reporters that he has spent the summer working on his shooting and physicality with a strength and conditioning program. The Lithuanian big man was poised to accept a max contract offer sheet of four yours and $80 million from any National Basketball Association team that Toronto would have been hard pressed not to match.

Now that it appears the Raptors have committed to him long-term, those frequent final frame Valanciunas disappearances in the end of games have to stop. “I think that’s going to be our nature of building here”. It’s actually good preparation.

The deal – which had been simmering on the back burner for a few months – came together quickly.

This contract extention is just the latest move Toronto has made in its off-season.

The Raptors signed DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph, Bismack Biyombo and Luis Scola this summer to try to bolster a roster that has been competitive in the regular season, but flamed out in the playoffs. It’s the job of Dwayne Casey and the team’s point guards (specifically Kyle Lowry) to get the ball in his hands.

Ujiri said he is in negotiations with guard-forward Terrence Ross, who is entering the last season of his current contract.