Inside The Wizards

Why Wizards Signed Jonas Valanciunas

Jonas Valanciunas signed a three-year deal with the Washington Wizards this offseason.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) is fouled while driving to the basket by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) is fouled while driving to the basket by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are thankful to have veteran center Jonas Valanciunas as a veteran leader for a young, rebuilding roster.

While the Wizards signed Valanciunas to be the mentor that he has become to the young Washington core, there were other motivations towards signing the Lithuanian center.

"The Wizards had a $10 million trade exception that was set to expire July 6," ESPN analyst Bobby Marks writes.

"The salary for Valanciunas this season is $9.9 million. If the trade exception expired, Washington would have had to use most of its $12.8 million non-tax midlevel exception. That exception remains available to use in a future trade."

On top of that, the Wizards now have another method towards adding value in the future by trading Valanciunas to a potential buyer ahead of this year's trade deadline.

"Washington now also has a tradable contract that it can move after Dec. 15 for draft considerations. Valanciunas is averaging a career-low 20 minutes per game but still is averaging 12 points and 7.8 rebounds," Marks writes.

The Wizards must now decide where they can get the most value out of Valanciunas. Is it through keeping him past the deadline having him continue to guide the young players on the roster past the rigors of growing in the NBA or is it to acquire a future draft pick that could lead to a better player sometime in the future?

That's a question that the Wizards will continue to ask themselves as the months go on leading up until the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

In the meantime, Valanciunas will continue doing his best for the Wizards as they face off in their next game against the Charlotte Hornets. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside Capital One Arena.

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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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