Though Jonas Valančiūnas has drawn interest from teams in Europe following his trade to the Denver Nuggets from the Sacramento Kings, his new team reportedly expects him to suit up in the NBA this year.

The Denver Nuggets and Jonas Valanciunas are about to be locked in a staredown. Denver agreed to a trade for Valanciunas, the veteran center, earlier this week. Then reports came out that Valanciunas had been offered a multi-year contract by Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos.

The Denver Nuggets have made it clear this offseason that they need a dependable backup center behind Nikola Jokic. The front office moved quickly to address that concern by targeting veteran big man Jonas Valanciunas.