Jonas Valanciunas signs multi-year contract extension with Raptors
Jonas Valanciunas has turned a career season into a long-term contract with the Toronto Raptors.
The NBA team on Thursday announced it had signed the seven-foot, 270-pound centre to a multi-year extension, a four-year, $64-million US pact, after he averaged a career-high 12 points in 2014-15, with team highs of 8.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 80 regular-season games.
"Jonas' contributions continue to improve with each season and we view him as a significant part of what we are building in Toronto," Raptors president and general manager Masai Ujiri said in a statement released by the team.
In three seasons with Toronto, the 23-year-old Valanciunas has averaged 10.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and more than 26 minutes. He also has a 55.3 per cent success rate from the field in 223 games, including 218 as a starter.
The native of Lithuania has been slightly more productive in the post-season, averaging 11.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in 11 contests with a 57.5 field goal percentage.
Last season, Valanciunas added 22 double-doubles, 693 rebounds and 95 blocks.
His 12 points-per-game average was marginally better than the 2013-14 season (11.3 points per game).
As a rookie, the fifth overall draft pick in 2011 averaged 8.9 points a game and ranked among the top-three freshmen in field goal percentage (55.7), rebounds and blocks (1.3).
