The Los Angeles Lakers are apparently still interested in trading for Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas after acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets. Over the past few weeks, there had been rumors of a Lakers-Wizards trade centered around the Lithuanian big man.
In late December, a Bleacher Report article suggested that after Jonas Valanciunas became trade-eligible on Dec. 15, LA was among the teams that expressed interest in acquiring him. According to another report from Michael Scott of HoopsHype, the Lakers are now looking to settle a deal with the Wizards for the center.
“The Lakers will continue to try and acquire Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas or another backup center on the trade market with their remaining future second-round draft capital,” said Scott.
Scott also reported that LA is also looking to trade their $11 million guard Gabe Vincent and their remaining second-round picks in exchange for another big man. “Gabe Vincent is expected to be dangled in talks as well, league sources told HoopsHype,” he added.
It still remains to be seen if the Wizards are willing to let go of Valanciunas, but it seems that the Lakers don’t want to part ways with additional assets to close the deal.
A list of other big men the Lakers could target if the Jonas Valanciunas deal fails
The LA Lakers have been one of Jonas Valanciunas’ ardent suitors for much of the 2024-25 season, but the Wizards center was not eligible to be traded until Dec. 15. During that time, other names had been floated as potential trade targets for the Lakers.
Bleacher Report’s mid-December coverage named Portland Trail Blazers’ Robert Williams III and Utah Jazz’s Walker Kessler among those big men the Lakers are reportedly interested in. However, in the case of Williams, whose injury history has pretty much defined his career, the Lakers may be hesitant to acquire the Blazers big man despite his potential when he is healthy.
Meanwhile, trading for Kessler would likely cost the Lakers more than Williams. LA is averaging the third-fewest three-point attempts per game across the league, and acquiring the Jazz center will do little to boost the team’s perimeter shooting percentage. However, the team will be able to rely on his defensive capabilities, especially when he is currently averaging a career-high 2.7 blocks per game.
The Feb. 5 trade deadline is just practically a month away. If Lakers GM Rob Pelinka can’t finalize a deal with Valanciunas, then they need to reconsider their options before the deadline hits.
For more sports content:
Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for your NBA and college basketball reading fix. You can reach out to Dan Agulto through email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
