Jonas Valanciunas, Washington Wizards
Since the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers have been on the hunt for a center who could play next to Anthony Davis. After initially pursuing Jonas Valanciunas to open free agency, he would end up signing with the Washington Wizards. It was somewhat of a curious move but it was one that the Wizards had a plan for. With how the rumor mill has been working recently, the Wizards likely signed Valanciunas with the plan to shop him and potentially trade him at the deadline.
If the Lakers are looking for a defensive-minded center that could theoretically play next to AD, Valanciunas could be their target. In 44 games played so far this season, most of them coming off the bench, Valanciunas is averaging 12 points and eight rebounds on 56 percent shooting from the field. No matter what role the Lakers would envision him playing, there's no question he would be a huge asset to the team heading down the stretch.
How likely is Jonas Valanciunas to be traded?
With the way the Wizards have been trending, it would be surprising if they didn't pull the trigger on a trade of Valanciunas ahead of the trade deadline - especially considering that there appears to be a somewhat strong market for centers at this point. Even though it's been somewhat quiet on that front, you'd have to imagine the market will certainly pick up once the Jimmy Butler dominos begin to fall. Once that happens, it will open the door for a few smaller deals to take place. And if that's something the Lakers truly want to focus on, that will be their time to pounce on a potential deal.
Considering it isn't likely to cost much for the Lakers (or any other team) to pry Valanciunas way from the Wizards, you'd have to imagine he is going to be a prime target for the team heading into the deadline. Theoretically, a package centered around Gabe Vincent and two second-round picks may be enough to get it done. Depending on what the other offers are out there, there's probably a good chance that will be a competitive offer.