The good news? Jonas Valanciunas appears to be close to reaching a contract buyout with his European team.

The bad news? That buyout apparently won’t allow the 6-foot-11, 240-pound Lithuanian to play in the NBA until the 2012-13 season.

That was the word Monday from ESPN draft expert Chad Ford, who expects the 19-year-old center to fall toward the bottom of the lottery in Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Valanciunas, who will reportedly buy his way out of the final year of his contract with Lietuvos Rytas, was considered a strong possibility to be taken by the Cavaliers with the No. 4 pick.

That could still be the case, but Cleveland reportedly would have to be willing to play next season without Valanciunas, who has a standing reach of 9 feet, 3 inches and a wingspan of 7-4.

Some scouts are of the opinion Valanciunas could turn out to be the best player in this year’s draft, but he’s considered a project who will need two or three years to develop.

Whether that development can take place overseas for a year is now a very important question for the Cavs, who would also have to sell their fan base on the fact Valanciunas is worth waiting on.

“If Valanciunas can’t play in NBA next year, he’ll drop,” Ford posted on his Twitter account. “Cavs won’t take him at (No.) 4. Still I doubt he slips past the Rockets at 14.”

If Ford is right, the Cavs, who are expected to take Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 pick, will likely focus their attention on Kentucky center Enes Kanter at No. 4.

Kanter, ruled ineligible by the NCAA prior to what would have been his freshman season at Kentucky, was in Cleveland on Monday meeting with the Cavs, as was Wildcats point guard Brandon Knight, another player expected to go high in the draft.

Assuming the Cavs take Irving at No. 1, Minnesota is expected to take Arizona forward Derrick Williams at No. 2, but there’s been increased talk the Timberwolves might now be considering Kanter.

If the latter scenario plays out, Utah would likely take Williams at No. 3, which would leave the Cavs in a bit of a quandary. They wouldn’t need another point guard – Knight and UConn’s Kemba Walker are likely top-10 picks – and would probably have to choose from among Czech Republic small forward Jan Vesely, waiting a year on Valanciunas or perhaps reaching a bit for someone like San Diego State small forward Kawhi Leonard.

Even if Minnesota takes Williams at No. 2, Kanter would still have to get past Utah. Because the Jazz has a quality center in Al Jefferson, most experts expect it to go with Knight, but Kanter is still in the mix.

Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com.

NBA DRAFT

• WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
• WHERE: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.
• TV: ESPN