It’s been a quiet offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers as the only roster moves they made were drafting Dalton Knecht and Bronny James to replace Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie, who departed in free agency.
The Lakers were linked to a number of players though, and LeBron James was even said to be willing to take a pay cut if the organization can add one of a few free agents.
One of those players was Jonas Valanciunas, the former New Orleans Pelicans center who was the best big man on the free agent market. The Lakers weren’t able to land Valanciunas, however, as he instead chose to sign a three-year, $30 million contract with the Washington Wizards. Only the first two years of that deal are guaranteed.
Despite the Lakers not landing him though, it appears their pursuit of Valanciunas is not over. Considering the Wizards are a rebuilding team, they may look to flip the 32-year-old before the trade deadline and L.A. will be interested, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
One name to watch: Jonas Valanciunas of the Washington Wizards. James offered to take a pay cut to open up the full midlevel exception to sign the free agent big man, but he opted for more guaranteed money from a three-year, $30 million deal in Washington.
Still, the Lakers need a center, the Wizards don’t figure to be contenders this season, and Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka has a proven record of getting deals done with Washington’s organization.
Giving up assets to acquire someone you could have signed in free agency is not ideal, but the Lakers may have to as they didn’t address their need at center this offseason.
The Lakers will head into the 2024-25 season with the same center rotation as last season, except that they won’t even have Christian Wood available to start after undergoing surgery on his left knee.
Valanciunas would make for a quality fit next to Anthony Davis as a big who can defend the paint, rebound and stretch the floor a bit. The Lakers and Wizards have a history of working together well in trades, so it will be interesting to see if another deal between the two teams is on the horizon later this season.
Lakers star Anthony Davis maintains desire to play alongside center
One person who would be happy to see the Lakers acquire another big man like Jonas Valanciunas is Anthony Davis as recent reports indicate he maintains a desire to play alongside a center.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
