Per the New Orleans Times-Picayune:
The productive and durable Valanciunas made it clear in the offseason that he is comfortable in New Orleans. But he and the team could not agree on an extension, so Valanciunas will play out the final year of his contract without knowing what’s on the other side of it.
“I’m not thinking about that at all,” he said. “I am just going to play hoop. To play basketball. It’s one year at a time. I am just going to leave everything out there.
“Where the future is going to take me, it’s a mystery. But it’s funny that way. You don’t know what can happen tomorrow. You have to enjoy today. You have to enjoy this year. You have to enjoy every game you play. You just try to be the best version of you. That’s what my approach is.”
The Pelicans won 36 games in Valanciunas’ first season here and snuck into the playoffs. In his second season, they won 42 games but were eliminated in the Western Conference play-in tournament. Valanciunas said the disappointment of the way last season ended has made him and his teammates come back motivated.
