NBA Rumors: Jonas Valančiūnas' Projected Trade Value Revealed amid Lakers Links

Dealing veteran center Jonas Valančiūnas may not help to accelerate the Washington Wizards' rebuild based on his value ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

The Athletic's Josh Robbins and David Aldridge reported the Wizards might be able to only get two second-round picks in return for Valančiūnas.

They reported that Washington "will consider" a trade for the right offer but reflected how "finding a trade that serves the team's long-term goals will be challenging."

Valančiūnas is logging a career-low 19.8 minutes per night, but he's performing up to his usual standards so far in 2024-25. Through 38 appearances, he's averaging 11.6 points on 55.8 percent shooting along with 8.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks.

The 32-year-old has a pretty reasonable contract as well. He'll make just under $10.4 million next season and his $10 million salary for 2026-27 is non-guaranteed.

The trouble for the Wizards is that the market for traditional centers isn't very strong, especially for the centers who don't possess at least one elite skill.

If Washington is content to only get back second-round draft compensation back for Valančiūnas, then the Los Angeles Lakers could be a big winner.

HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported on Dec. 31 that Los Angeles, having landed forward Dorian Finney-Smith, was aiming to use the second-rounders at its disposal to get a backup center. Scotto cited Valančiūnas as a specific target for the Lakers.

Two second-rounders may not do a whole lot for the Wizards front office, though, when the franchise is still so far away from contending. Those picks won't raise the franchise's ceiling too much, and with a roster as young as this, it can be tough to ensure everybody has the opportunity to fully develop on the court when you keep adding more young players.

The presence of Valančiūnas is also a nice luxury for Washington when it's using No. 2 overall selection Alexandre Sarr as the starting center. Beyond being a veteran voice in the locker room, he brings a lot of stability to the frontcourt.

Remove Valančiūnas from the equation and Marvin Bagley III would be thrust into the backup role. Even for a team in a rebuild, that would be less than ideal.

With the Lithuanian big man signed for at least another season, standing pat and seeing whether his trade value improves—it probably can't much lower—could be the smarter play.