Jonas Valanciunas, Washington Wizards
It was a bit shocking when the Washington Wizards signed Jonas Valanciunas during the offseason. However, as Washington has pivoted even more into their rebuild, the writing may already be on the wall for Valanciunas. He's going to be traded and has been one of the most consistent names that has popped up in the rumor mill since the trade deadline season began. At this point, it's a matter of "when" and "where" as it pertains to whether Valanciunas will be traded. With several teams in the market for help in the frontcourt, it does seem as if the Wizards will have options on the Valanciunas trade front in the coming weeks.
Even though Valanciunas has done most of his damage this season for the Wizards off the bench, he's the type of player who could still offer value as a starter in the right system. Whether he will get to a team that needs a starting center or bench depth remains to be seen but as he's proven he can be effective in both roles this season, it's easy to see why he's going to be such an inviting target for many teams before the deadline.
Why Jonas Valanciunas will likely be traded: Is there a scenario in which the Wizards end up making multiple deals at the NBA Trade Deadline? Absolutely. In fact, there are probably many who believe that's how their deadline approach will end up unraveling. However, of all the moves that the Wizards could end up making, I do believe that trading Valanciunas will end up being the most likely scenario that plays out. Still a good player at this point in his career, there should be a myriad of teams interested in his services.
Even as some of the teams interested in Valanciunas pursue bigger deals initially, I'd be surprised if he wasn't traded before the deadline. From the onset, it seems like trading Valanciunas was always going to be the plan for the Wizards. Valanciunas is likely going to get his shot to compete in the playoffs again, and it will probably happen sooner rather than later. In exchange, I'm sure the Wizards will get a couple of second-round picks or a young player they can take a gamble on with development over the next few seasons.