Washington Wizards' Jonas Valanciunas Already Viewed As Big Trade Deadline Target

Washington inked Jonas Valanciunas to a three-year deal, but no one expects him to play out his contract in DC.

Apr 24, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) runs down the court after scoring against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are in the middle of a full-on rebuild with young players like Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly at the center of it. Throw in youngish veterans like Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma and you have the makings of a young, developing and hopefully improving squad.

Then there's 32-year old big man Jonas Valanciunas. The 6-11 journeyman is a solid player on both ends of the floor averaging 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. And while he's not necessarily a shot blocker, his size, strength and positioning make him a very effective defender in and around the paint. Signing him to a three-year, $30 million deal seems a little misplaced as the Wizards are nowhere near competing for a playoff spot, but there are some pluses to having the big Lithuanian on the team.

One advantage to having Valanciunas on the team for now is that he can mentor young French rookie Alex Sarr. The Wizards' No. 2 overall pick in this past year's draft is raw and unproven, but he's got a ton of upside and a lot of versatility. If he can pick up anything from the veteran Valanciunes, it's a good thing.

Valanciunas can and will help the Wizards win more games right now. No one expects the Wiz to go from 15 wins to 50, but Valanciunas is an above-average, starting, experienced center who can settle things down for a team on both ends of the floor. That presence should help the young Wizards see how it's done and increase the win total at least a little bit.

Finally, and most importantly and impactfully, Valanciunas is an elite trade piece come the deadline. Teams all over the NBA, who are close to winning a title or who are in need of depth in the post, will be fighting over a player like Valanciunes when it comes time to put together the best possible roster for a title run. It's hard to say in September exactly what kind of return the Wizards would get for a player like Valanciunas, but draft capital and more young talent will likely be on the menu, which fits in with the Wizards rebuild. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out starting next month when the Wizards open the regular season on October 24 against the defending champion Boston Celtics.