The Washington Wizards were listed as a team to monitor ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline in February.
While the deadline is still months away, it’s never too early for a team to make a trade. Especially for contenders who have gotten off to a slow start to the year and view their weakness as the frontcourt.
Considering Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported the Wizards are in “deal-making mode,” there’s no better time to consider which teams could be monitoring Washington’s players.
With the Wizards' abundance of veterans that could impact contending teams almost immediately, it’s easy to understand why Washington is making it clear they’re ready to make deals. It’s also understandable why teams will be looking at the Wizards as a potential trade target.
The Wizards have multiple veterans available for trade, but one player teams could covet is big man Jonas Valanciunas. At 32, his signing in the offseason with the Wizards never seemed to make sense. Now, considering the state of the Wizards rebuild, he is a likely candidate to get dealt with ahead of the deadline.
That said, here’s a look at three teams that could make sense for the talented center.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers were a team rumored to be interested in the big man during free agency. At one point, many expected Valanciunas to land in Los Angeles before he ultimately signed with the Wizards.
With the team continuously looking for upgrades, it could make sense for Rob Pelinka to revisit the idea of pairing Valanciunas alongside Anthony Davis in the frontcourt. Especially after the off-court issues with Jaxson Hayes have emerged again.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat were rumored to be a team monitoring the market for a center in the offseason. Miami reportedly was fond of the idea of pairing a center alongside Bam Adebyao to allow the Kentucky product to play more at the power forward position.
Between his versatility on defense and improved jump shot, the move to let Adebayo play out of position on offense seemed like a no-brainer. As a result, the Heat could be a team to check in on the price of the big man with the expiring contracts to match and draft capital to get a deal done.
Memphis Grizzlies
Jonas Valanciunas spent three seasons in Memphis before being dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans in favor of Steven Adams. After that experiment didn’t work out, the team drafted the 7-foot-4 Purdue product in the lottery of this year’s draft.
However, the team lacks depth and experience in the frontcourt behind him. If Memphis were to have interest in adding a big man at the deadline or before, they could turn to a familiar face. Especially if they hope to contend in a stacked Western Conference.