Why won’t Jonas Valančiūnas be playing for Lithuania at the last Olympic qualification tournament?

Valančiūnas, who has played in countless major competitions for Lithuania, will be a free agent during the last Olympic qualification tournament, which runs from July 2 to 7. “Jonas definitely wants to play for the national team; insurance is not a problem,” said the Lithuanian Basketball Association general secretary, Mindaugas Balčiūnas.

“The condition we cannot fulfill is that Jonas must be healthy at the beginning of July when he signs the contract. No one can guarantee that. Jonas understood the national team’s needs for eighteen years, and if the situation does not change drastically, now Lithuania will have to understand Jonas,” added Balcijunas. Valančunas will be with the team, and Balčiūnas points out that the goal remains the same.

“We have a strong team, and we are going to Puerto Rico with the desire to qualify for the Olympics. After that, Jonas joins in.”

The tournament’s dates overlap with free-agency

The regulations stipulate that Valanciunas’ agents cannot commence negotiations before June 30 and that the new contract cannot be signed before July 6. “For the first time in my life, I can’t be a player. I will be there in spirit, provide advice, be with the team, and train. I hope Lithuania understands me,” stated the 32-year-old Valančiūnas, who has been playing for the New Orleans Pelicans since 2021.

It won’t be easy for the Lithuanian team. Only the tournament winner will advance to Paris. Lithuania is in a group with Mexico and the Ivory Coast, while Italy, Puerto Rico, and Bahrain are in the second group. The tournament winner in Puerto Rico will be placed in Group C at the Games with the national teams of Serbia, the USA, and South Sudan.