NBA exec: Wizards likely to trade Jonas Valančiūnas during season amid Lakers rumors | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

According to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, there is an “expectation” among NBA players that the Washington Wizards will trade Jonas Valančiūnas in December, when the veteran center will be eligible to leave after signing a three-year, $30 million contract.

According to reports, potential candidates for his transfer include the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks.

“The Knicks, we’ll see how their center position develops,” an NBA executive told Deveney in July, naming the Lakers as one team interested. “The Warriors, if the Lauri Markkanen thing doesn’t work out.”

All three teams would be good choices for Valančiūnas.

The Lakers are at their best when Anthony Davis is playing center, but over the course of an 82-game season, having a second reliable center who can start alongside Davis at times is one way to reduce the load and wear and tear on the injury-prone star.

The Lakers currently have Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood. Valančiūnas would be a significant addition.

The same goes for the Knicks, who lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and don’t have many true centers on the roster behind Mitchell Robinson. The team could play a small second unit, but Hartenstein has proven to be a key piece in the playoffs and his loss will likely need to be addressed at some point.

The Warriors may be in the worst spot of the three teams right now, as only Trayce Jackson-Davis and veteran Kevon Looney are currently available at that position. Of course, acquiring Markkanen would be much more significant, but Valančiūnas would be a nice consolation prize in December.

Deveney noted that the Lakers “have been most often linked to Valančiūnas, but L.A. has been reluctant to give up any of its tradeable draft picks.”

For the rebuilding Wizards, using their current salary cap space to acquire potential acquisitions and young players in the future was a smart move.

“It’s really smart (to sign) because he made money at a time when there weren’t a lot of spots available — it’s musical chairs, and if you don’t get one of the top spots now, with the new rules, you’re done for,” the executive told Deveney. “There’s not as much flexibility. But you get paid, and the team that’s paying you can say, ‘Hey, we’ll get you a contender when the time comes.’”

Which candidate this candidate will ultimately turn out to be remains unknown.