Lakers Could Trade With Wizards After Anthony Davis Deal

The Los Angeles Lakers need a center after trading Anthony Davis. Could the Washington Wizards help them out?

Jan 21, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes (11) and Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) reach for a pass in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are reacting to the shocking trade from earlier in the weekend that sent Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic.

Former Wizards forward Markieff Morris was also sent from Dallas to LA, along with Maxi Kleber, in order to help match salaries.

However, there's reason to believe that the Lakers aren't done after making this trade with the Mavs. They need a center to replace Davis, and while Jaxson Hayes is on the roster, they could upgrade the position with Wizards big man Jonas Valanciunas.

The Lakers have been linked to Valanciunas for a while, but they appeared not to be interested after moving forward with other deals.

However, with Kleber's contract matching really nicely with Valanciunas and the Lakers in desperate need to make a deal for a center, a trade between the two teams might be more likely.

In a potential deal, the Lakers could send Kleber and two second-round picks in this year's draft for Valanciunas, giving the Wizards some extra draft capital for the big man's services.

Kleber recently broke his foot and won't play for the rest of the season, so it will open up some playing time for the younger players on the roster.

The Wizards might not want to make a trade for an aging Kleber and a pair of second-round picks, but if the Lakers included a first-round selection, that could change things for Washington.

If the Wizards get a first-round pick offered to them for Valanciunas, that would be a pretty hard offer to turn down as we get closer to the trade deadline.

The deadline is set for Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. But in the meantime, the Wizards are back in action tomorrow against the Charlotte Hornets. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

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