THE The Los Angeles Lakers were arguably the biggest losers in NBA free agency this summer, as every one of their rumored targets rejected their offers and signed with other teams.
One of these alleged targets was the center Jonas Valanciunaswho chose to join the Washington Wizardsa team that had the second-worst record in the league last season, instead of the Purple and Gold, who won 32 more games than Washington.
But that doesn’t mean Los Angeles’ pursuit of Valanciunas is over. At least one report has indicated that he’s a player they could try to trade in the coming months, and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin confirmed that he’s a “name to watch.”
Via ESPN:
“[LeBron] James offered to take a pay cut to open the full mid-level exception to sign the free-agent big man, but he opted for more guaranteed money coming from a three-year, $30 million contract in Washington,” McMenamin wrote.
“The Lakers still need a center, the Wizards don’t appear to be title contenders this season, and Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka has a proven track record of making deals with the Washington organization.”
Many believe the Lakers’ biggest weakness is another legitimate center outside of the superstar Anthony Davisand Valanciunas would likely be the ideal candidate. He averaged 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game last season, and at 6-foot-2 and 260 pounds, he’s a big guy who can be a nuisance defensively.
The fact that his new contract is relatively modest means he could be a relatively cheap player for Los Angeles land in a job.
This article was originally published on LeBron Wire: ESPN: Jonas Valanciunas is ‘a name to watch’ for Lakers
