Wizards Likely to Trade Jonas Valančiūnas During Season

Wizards Likely to Trade Jonas Valančiūnas During Seasonhttps://t.co/YEegfRUi4j via @BleacherReport

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 4, 2024

The “expectation” reportedly floating around the NBA is that the Washington Wizards will trade Jonas Valančiūnas in December, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, when the veteran center eligible to be moved after signing a three-year, $30 million.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks are all possible suitors, per that report.

“The Knicks, we’ll see how their center spot develops,” a NBA executive told Deveney in July, mentioning the Lakers as one of the interested teams. “The Warriors, if the Lauri Markkanen thing does not work out.”

All three teams would make sense for Valančiūnas.

The Lakers are at their best when utilizing Anthony Davis at the 5, but over the course of an 82-game season, having another reliable center option to start next to Davis at times is one way to reduce the wear and tear on the injury-prone star.

At present, the Lakers have Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood. Valančiūnas would be a significant upgrade.

Ditto for a Knicks team that lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and doesn’t have many true centers on the roster behind Mitchell Robinson. The team could play small with its second unit, but Hartenstein proved to be a key performer in the playoffs and his loss likely needs to be addressed at some point.

The Warriors may be the worst off among the three teams at present, with just Trayce Jackson-Davis and veteran Kevon Looney currently available at the position. Obviously a Markkanen acquisition would be far more impactful, but Valančiūnas would be a nice consolation prize in December.

Deveney did note that the Lakers “have been most frequently connected with Valančiūnas, but L.A. has also been reluctant to give up either of its tradeable draft picks.”

For the rebuilding Wizards, using their cap space in the present to add potential draft assets and young players in the future was a savvy move.

“It is a really smart [signing] because it got him paid at a time when there were just not that many spots available—it’s musical chairs and if you do not get one of the first slots now with the new rules, you’re screwed,” the executive told Deveney. “There’s not as much flexibility. But this gets you paid, and the team paying you can say, ‘Hey, we’ll get you to a contender when the time comes.'”

Which contender it ends up being remains to be seen.