Inside The Wizards

Should Wizards Trade Veteran Center?

The Washington Wizards will face a decision in regards to their veteran center at the trade deadline.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Dec 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards will face a difficult decision in regards to veteran center Jonas Valanciunas as the trade deadline gets closer.

Valanciunas, 32, signed a three-year, $30 million contract in the offseason with the Wizards, making him a free agent in 2027, but also someone on an extremely tradable contract.

HoopsHype reporter Michael Scotto is saying that there is interest around the league in acquiring Valanciunas via trade.

"Playoff-caliber teams needing help at center have cited Jonas Valanciunas as a potential trade target. Valanciunas was acquired in a sign-and-trade from the New Orleans Pelicans to be a veteran mentor to No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr and take a load off the young rookie guarding bigger frontcourt players. Valanciunas has been efficient as a reserve center for Washington this season. Behind the scenes, Valanciunas has helped Sarr’s development by going up against him in practice and teaching him things on both sides of the ball," Scotto writes.

This puts the Wizards in a precarious position. Valanciunas is someone who could net some more draft capital for the Wizards in the next few years. But is that the direction Washington wants to go in?

While the Wizards are focused and fixated on the future, there is also a lot of value in having veterans on the roster that can mentor and ingratiate the younger players into the NBA. That's why Valanciunas was brought in the first place, but the Wizards knew that there would be suitors for him on the trade market throughout his tenure in D.C.

Depending on how these next two months go, the Wizards will then be able to make as conscious of a decision as possible in whether or not to keep Valanciunas or trade him for draft capital down the line.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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