New Kings center Jonas Valančiūnas didn’t find out he was Sacramento-bound at the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline from an agent or a “breaking news” post from ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Instead, Valančiūnas’ dear friend and new teammate Domantas Sabonis was the one to inform the fellow big man.
“He (Sabonis) texted me, and he said, ‘You’re coming over,’ ” Valančiūnas recalled to reporters on Friday (h/t Fox 40 Sacramento’s Sean Cunningham). “I woke up from [a] nap, I’m like, ‘Who’s this?’ So, it was cool.”
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Kings GM Monte McNair introduces Jonas Valanciunas and Jake LaRavia to Sacramento. Valanciunas said he feels like he belongs here, LaRavia says he can bring a lot of versatility to the roster. pic.twitter.com/4ocpwy9e26
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) February 7, 2025
Valančiūnas, quite literally, began a nap as a Washington Wizard and woke up a King.
The moment was indeed “cool” for Valančiūnas, as he and Sabonis have a close relationship after growing up together as up-and-coming basketball stars in Lithuania. Kudos to Sacramento for allowing Sabonis to be a Kings insider for a moment and surprise his pal.
“To be honest, it was cool,” Valančiūnas reiterated. “I’ve known Domas since a young age, and we spent a lot of summers together. We played club basketball together. Now, it’s a new chapter.”
NBA
Valančiūnas, a 13-year veteran, and Sabonis, a nine-year veteran, have never played together over 22 combined NBA seasons. That fact is no more.
Now, the only thing left for Valančiūnas and Sabonis to figure out is who naps harder. However, the former Washington center has an idea.
“Yeah, he more than me,” Valančiūnas’ humorously said. “He sleeps four hours a nap. I mean, yeah, you got to take care of your body, right? Sleep is the best recovery.”