Jonas Valanciunas reveals Spurs interest that could have ruined everything

Things worked out exactly as they should have.
Phoenix Suns v Sacramento Kings
Phoenix Suns v Sacramento Kings | Kavin Mistry/GettyImages

The Spurs expressed interest in trading for Jonas Valanciunas before the trade deadline, according to the man himself. Valanciunas appeared on a Lithuanian podcast where he revealed that San Antonio was one of several suitors before he joined the Sacramento Kings to play alongside his longtime friend Domantas Sabonis.

"Denver came up, Phoenix too—things were unclear there with Nurkic. San Antonio was also in the picture. So yeah, there were a few teams" - Valanciunas

The 33-year-old veteran is on his fifth team. His latest stop could have been in Alamo City, but he was happy to go play in Sacramento, and that worked out for the best for all parties. He got to play with his friend, and the Spurs' season went exactly as it needed to in order to be in the perfect position to land the number two overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Spurs needed big man help badly after All-Star Weekend

They didn't know how bad it was going to get, but it got bad really fast. They traded Zach Collins away in the De'Aaron Fox deal. That needed to happen whether Fox was coming or not. Collins' confidence seemed to be completely shattered, and things that should have come easily were difficult and inconsistent. He played much better in Chicago, and we love that for him.

The Spurs didn't pull the trigger on anything else significant to replace him, but they knew they were light behind Victor Wembanyama. Losing the Alien for the rest of the season came soon after moving Zach, and that made an area of concern a glaring weakness. They added Bismack Biyombo, and he did his best to give the Silver and Black some size, but he was sitting at home for a reason.

Don't even get me started on Charles Bassey. He hasn't been healthy since he's been in the league, and Sandro Mamukelashvili isn't a true big man, though he's fun to watch when they give him a chance to get on the floor.

Valanciunas isn't a spring chicken, but he knows how to use his size. San Antonio has been victimized by him too many times over the years. He's one of those guys who just play well against the Spurs no matter what. It doesn't really make logical sense. You just kind of accept it.

He could have helped the team finish the season on a slightly better note, but I'm a believer that any variance could have compromised the results of the NBA Draft Lottery. Winning a few more games would have been awesome in the moment, but the long-term consequences would have been real.

Now, we wouldn't have realized it, of course. That would have been the only reality we knew. However, seeing it play out this way gives us a different perspective when we look back at possible decisions that could have changed the trajectory of the season. It would have been an interesting addition, and one I asked for at the time, but I'm sure glad it didn't happen.