Inside The Wizards

Wizards Have Perfect Opportunity for Lakers Trade

The Washington Wizards have a huge opportunity to pull off a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Evan Massey

Oct 9, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) reacts during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Oct 9, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) reacts during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Heading into the 2024-25 NBA season, the Washington Wizards are a team that many believe will be very active in trade discussions leading up to the trade deadline.

With plenty of veteran pieces that are clearly not long-term fits, they could swing quite a few moves. One name to keep a close eye on will be veteran center Jonas Valanciunas.

During the offseason, the Wizards signed the veteran big man to a three-year deal worth $30 million. He's expected to start the season as the starting center, but will likely end up being a trade chip.

Now, a potential trade destination has opened up in a big way. There is a perfect opportunity for Washington to get some good value out of Valanciunas.

According to a report from new ESPN insider Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Lakers are shopping the market for a big man.

"The Lakers have been exploring potentially adding a big man, a center to their roster," Charania reported.

Since they added Valanciunas, the Lakers have been talked about as a team that could look to trade for him. It appears that they're picking up their pursuit of a center.

Valanciunas would be a very intriguing fit with Los Angeles. He would bring rebounding and an underrated offensive game to the court. The Lakers will definitely need more rebounding as they look to compete in a stacked Western Conference.

During the 2023-24 NBA season with the New Orleans Pelicans, Valanciunas ended up playing in all 82 games. He averaged 14.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. In addition to those averages, he shot 55.9 percent from the floor and did knock down 30.8 percent of his limited three-point attempts.

Those numbers would be exactly what Los Angeles is looking to acquire. He's 32 years old and could be a multi-year answer at center.

This seems like a match made in heaven. If the Lakers are willing to offer some solid value in return, this could very well end up being a deal that happens at some point before the trade deadline.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers both the NFL and NBA. He has worked for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net, and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.

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