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With the trade season officially beginning Sunday, December 15, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to ramp up their pursuit of Washington Wizards center Jonas Valančiūnas, per Anthony Irwin of Clutchpoints.
Valančiūnas is one of the 85 players who signed free-agent deals in the offseason that are now trade-eligible.
“According to those I’ve spoken to with knowledge of the situation, Washington and L.A. have already held preliminary talks about a Valančiūnas deal, and the expectation is for those talks to ramp up once he can be traded,” Irwin wrote on December 12.
Irwin added that the Lakers are expected to offer a package of Gabe Vincent, a salary filler and second-round pick to the Wizards.
Are the Wizards Playing Hard Ball?
However, the Wizards seem to value Valančiūnas highly based on The Athletic story on Washington’s rebuilding on the same day Irwin reported that the Lakers had held preliminary trade talks for the veteran center.
“The Wizards have been adamant that they also plan to hold onto most of their remaining veterans as long as possible during the rebuild. In particular, Wizards officials insist that they want Valančiūnas and his professionalism around their young guys for the long haul,” The Athletic’s Josh Robbins and David Aldridge wrote.
The Wizards are in the driver’s seat in negotiations as they don’t have to move Valančiūnas now, owing to the length of his contract, and drive up the price. It would take a desperate team to trade more draft capital for the traditional big man. And that team could be the Lakers, who slumped to 13-12 after a strong 10-4 start.
“If multiple second-round picks seem expensive for Valanciunas, given the role he’d play and his three-year contract, consider it the price of getting Washington to make this move now rather than wait to see if some team gets even more desperate later in the year. The Lakers can wait to see if that price drops,” Irwin wrote.
Jonas Valanciunas on LeBron James’ Shortlist
The Lakers missed out on Valančiūnas during the free agency.
Valanciunas was on LeBron James‘ shortlist he was willing to take a paycut for in free agency. But the Lithuanian center opted for a sign-and-trade with the Wizards for a three-year, $30.2 million deal.
Despite losing out on Valančiūnas, the Lakers’ interest in him never wavered.
They need Valančiūnas now more than ever, with the Lakers among the worst rebounding teams in the league.
Entering their December 15 home game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Lakers are ranked 27th in rebounds, averaging 40.8 per game.
Rebounding is one of Valančiūnas’ strong suits. He averaged double-digit rebounds for five consecutive seasons with the Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans before his role was reduced last season.
The 6-foot-11 Valančiūnas is averaging 12.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting an efficient 56.4% from the field for the Wizards.
JJ Redick Wants ‘Bruising’ Center Next to Anthony Davis
In July, Redick was upfront about his wish to have a bruising big man to help Anthony Davis counter the centers of the Western Conference contenders.
“You certainly have to look at what I think is actually a very good roster, a very balanced roster, Redick said in an interview with Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson on Sirius XM NBA Radio during the NBA Summer League. “We’d love to, we tried, but we’d love to, at some point, get another five man, a big bruising five man.
“You look at the Western Conference right now, whether it’s Denver, Minnesota, OKC with what they added, certainly Memphis, they’re going to be back in the hunt, they added Zach Edey, certain matchups in the playoffs, you’re going to need a lot of size.”
Valančiūnas fits the bill.
The Lakers desperately lack size with injuries to Davis’ backups Jaxson Hayes (ankle) and Christian Wood (knee).
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Lakers in Trade Talks for $30 Million Former LeBron Target: Report