Inside The Wizards

Wizards Center Officially Trade Eligible

The Washington Wizards can now trade their veteran center without any reservations.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Dec 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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It's officially Dec. 15, which means the Washington Wizards have no restrictions when it comes to trading veteran center Jonas Valanciunas, who signed a three-year, $30 million deal at the start of the offseason.

Valanciunas, 32, has been rumored to be a target for many center-needy teams around the league, but just because his demand is high doesn't mean he will be dealt.

Recently, The Athletic's David Aldridge and Josh Robbins reported that the Wizards really like Valanciunas and that a trade may not take place.

"The Wizards have been adamant that they also plan to hold onto most of their remaining veterans as long as possible during the rebuild. In particular, Wizards officials insist that they want Valančiūnas and his professionalism around their young guys for the long haul," Robbins and Aldridge wrote.

Given the fact that he isn't an impending free agent, the Wizards have a little more leeway when figuring out whether or not to trade him. If he was expected not to re-sign in free agency this summer, the Wizards would be more likely to try and extract some value out of him before he could walk for nothing.

However, with two more years of team control beyond this season, the case for Valanciunas staying is a viable one.

The Wizards need some sort of veteran presence to help navigate the younger players through the rebuild, and Valanciunas has established himself as that. He has been a tremendous mentor for rookie big man Alex Sarr among others, and that may be more valuable to the Wizards compared to whatever they may be able to get for him on the trade market.

Valanciunas and the Wizards are back in action against the defending champion Boston Celtics tonight. Tipoff is scheduled at 6 p.m. ET.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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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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