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According to some reports, the “expectation” circulating in the NBA is that the Washington Wizards will trade Jonas Valančiūnas in December. Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, when the veteran center is eligible to be moved after signing a three-year, $30 million contract.
The Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks are all potential suitors, according to this report.
“The Knicks, we’ll see how their center position plays out,” an NBA executive told Deveney in July, mentioning the Lakers as one team interested. “The Warriors, if the Lauri Markkanen project doesn’t work out.”
All three teams would be interesting for Valančiūnas.
The Lakers are at their best when using 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 a way to reduce wear and tear on the injury-prone star.
Currently, the Lakers have Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood. Valančiūnas would be a significant upgrade.
The same goes for the Knicks, who lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and don’t have many true centers on their roster behind Mitchell Robinson. The team could play small with its second unit, but Hartenstein has proven to be a key player in the playoffs and his loss will likely need to be addressed at some point.
The Warriors may be the weakest of the three teams right now, with only Trayce Jackson-Davis and veteran Kevon Looney currently available at the position. Obviously, acquiring Markkanen would be much more impactful, but Valančiūnas would be a nice consolation prize in December.
Deveney noted that the Lakers “have been most frequently linked to Valančiūnas, but LA has also been reluctant to give up any of its tradeable draft picks.”
For the rebuilding Wizards, using their current salary cap to add potential draft assets and young players in the future was a smart move.
“That’s really smart [signing] “It’s like if you don’t get one of the top spots now with the new rules, you’re screwed,” the executive told Deveney. “There’s not as much flexibility. But it allows you to get paid, and the team that’s paying you can say, ‘Hey, we’ll move you to a competing team when the time comes.’”
It remains to be seen who the contender will be.
