Once free agency opens at 6 p.m. ET, center Jonas Valanciunas is expected to commit to a three-year, $45 million contract to return to the Memphis Grizzlies, league sources tell ESPN.
Valanciunas declined a $17.6 million player option on his 2019-20 contract, clearing the way to become an unrestricted free agent and negotiate a new, longer term deal.
In the post-Marc Gasol era, Valanciunas arrived in Memphis with the franchise focused on him as a long-term solution at center next to talented forward Jaren Jackson Jr.
Zach Kleiman, Memphis' vice president of basketball operations, and Valanciunas' agent, Leon Rose of CAA, worked to complete a deal and keep him on the roster for new coach Taylor Jenkins.