Lakers and Nuggets Make Ex-Pelicans Starter Trade Target

Former Pelicans big man Jonas Valanciunas has reported traded interest from both the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets

Dec 7, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) shoots the ball the New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) in the NBA In Season Tournament Semifinal at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

When the New Orleans Pelicans allowed Jonas Valanciunas to leave for the Washington Wizards, they never found a suitable starting center again this season. Now that Valanciunas is gone, he's received a plethora of trade interest from numerous potential championship contenders.

This week, it was reported by Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic that the Denver Nuggets have expressed interest in Valanciunas.

"As a result, the Nuggets have either expressed interest in, or have had preliminary trade discussions on the following players: Chicago’s Zach LaVine, Washington’s Jordan Poole, Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter, Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson and Washington’s Jonas Valančiūnas," Amick said.

Even prior to that, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that Valanciunas was receiving interest from the Los Angeles Lakers.

"“As The Athletic has previously reported, a Lakers move is more likely later in January or early in February leading into the deadline, allowing Los Angeles more time to evaluate the roster and see if injured players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood can plug some of the holes within the rotation," Buha said. "But it appears that, if the Lakers make a move on the sooner end, trading for Valančiūnas, Johnson and/or Finney-Smith would be the most realistic exceptions."

New for @TheAthletic: Lakers trade season primer:
-- Are the Lakers likely to make a move?
-- Who are realistic player archetypes and trade targets?
-- Are any players untouchable?
-- What will teams want from the Lakers?

That and more in here: https://t.co/5JCZZx9HSo

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) December 17, 2024

As the dominoes continue to fall, it feels like more and more of the Pelicans' starters will be traded to contending teams. Players like Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, and Jonas Valanciunas can all make legitimate contributions to playoff teams. With that in mind, it creates the question of why couldn't any of them make it work on the Pelicans.

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