The Trade Deadline is on February 6th, next week. The Wizards have three veteran players on the trade block who will garner interest at the deadline. While Kyle Kuzma and Malcolm Brogdon have dealt with injuries, Jonas Valanciunas has been healthy and productive on the court. Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, he has tremendous trade value and he has been linked to many teams but one team both has interest and makes sense. The Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers need a tough, hard-nosed, and productive Center who can complement AD in the Lakers front court. JV is averaging 11.8 points per game and 8 rebounds. He’s money in the paint, can hit the mid-range, and while he’s not a sniper from three, I wouldn’t leave him alone out there either. He can play. Now the question is, while he won’t garner a 1st round pick, could the Wizards finesse the Lakers to give up their two 2025 2nd round picks and Gabe Vincent and call it a day?
Let’s take a look:
Wizards get: Gabe Vincent and two 2nd round picks
Lakers get: Jonas Valanciunas
I think the deal works, both as far as matching salaries and gaining draft compensation in the form of two-round picks. If you combine all four of the Wizard’s potential four 2nd round picks in 2025, they could package them all and move back into the 1st round and get another high-impact player in a loaded draft.
Could the other two Wizards vets in Brogdon or Kuzma be included in a deal with the Lakers, naw I wouldn’t think so. I can see Kuzma being included in a potential Jimmy Butler trade with the Wizards as a facilitator. Taking on a bad contract like John Collins or Khris Middleton would be the Wizard’s best bet to obtain a 1st round pick though, due to Kuzma’s dip in production and injury issues. Brogdon could be with the Wizards for the rest of the season due to his injury issues and the price tag of $22.5 mil. Will Wizards GM Will Dawkins do his thing at the deadline, absolutely. The question is, will the youth movement officially start in the 2nd half? I think the fanbase is ready.
