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The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a hot start and looking to bolster the frontline alongside star big man Anthony Davis ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report on Saturday, November 23, linked the Lakers to a firmly established interest in Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas.
“Jonas Valanciunas … is definitely a name that you continue to hear being bandied about as a Lakers trade target,” Fischer said. “Valanciunas is definitely available for trade in Washington.”
LeBron James mentioned Valanciunas by name during the offseason as a player for whom he might be willing to take a pay cut if the Lakers could lock him down in free agency. And while that didn’t ultimately happen, the veteran center remained a player on L.A.’s radar given the $30.3 million contract he inked with the Wizards.
“When he signed that contract, that three-year deal around the mid-level with Washington, most around the league looked at that as something that was going to be a very strong, tradable deal,” Fischer continued.
Lakers Need to Pair Anthony Davis With Player Like Jonas Valanciunas to Ease Defensive Burden
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GettyLos Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis.
Valanciunas would be a play to take some of the pressure off Davis as both a rebounder and an interior defender.
Davis has been excellent in both regards this season, though he is also a focal point of the offense under new head coach J.J. Redick. Davis is second in the league with 31.3 points per game and seventh with 11.2 rebounds per contest. He’s also sixth in blocks at 1.9 per outing.
His usage rate is nearing a career high at 31.7%, which leads the team by a wide margin and is fifth league-wide. The only time an offense ran more heavily through Davis was the 2016-17 New Orleans Pelicans (32.6%).
Valanciunas is a bruiser with career averages of 9.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks across his 13 years in the league. He is playing in his age-32 season and makes sense as a defensive anchor alongside Davis who can ease the burden on the nine-time All-Star, as the Lakers ask Davis to do more on offense than ever before.
Robert Williams Option for Lakers if Jonas Valanciunas Trade Doesn’t Pan Out
GettyFormer Boston Celtics big man Robert Williams III.
Another name that Fischer mentioned as a potential Lakers’ trade target is Robert Williams III of the Portland Trailblazers.
“Robert Williams III definitely generated a lot of trade interest last year from teams who were … [hoping] he would come back into play after injuries subsided,” Fischer said Saturday. “He’s back healthy now, and I am getting questions from scout friends of mine around the league wondering if he’s potentially been too successful for Portland to part ways with him right now.”
Fischer added that the Trailblazers may seek to deal Deandre Ayton ahead of the deadline instead, though his contract and desire to be an offensive focal point will render him far less attractive to a team like the Lakers than a player such as Williams or Valanciunas.
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