(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
The Washington Wizards will be using the 2024-25 NBA season to develop its young talent, the smart path considering where they are in their rebuild.
The Wizards had a strong 2024 NBA Draft as they took Alexandre Sarr, Carlton Carrington and Kyshawn George to add to their core of players for the future.
Washington has treaded in mediocrity for years, but they are finally embracing the need to focus on its rookies and second-year players.
However, the Wizards still made some moves in free agency as they signed veteran center Jonas Valanciunas to a three-year, $30 million deal.
Valanciunas was a popular target for contenders in need of a big man, but ultimately landed with Washington.
While Valanciunas is in line for major minutes, it appears that the team will be angling to trade him midway through the regular season via Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.
“The expectation is that Washington will begin looking for a deal for Jonas Valančiūnas in December when he becomes eligible to be traded,” Deveney reported.
The expectation is that Washington will begin looking for a deal for Jonas Valančiūnas in December when he becomes eligible to be traded, per @SeanDeveney pic.twitter.com/3UPn0iHALG
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 4, 2024
There should be plenty of interest in Valanciunas this upcoming season as teams could always use more center depth to compete with some of the star bigs in the NBA.
It seems that the Wizards may have signed Valanciunas just to eventually trade him for additional assets, perhaps a forward-thinking move that will help aid their rebuilding efforts.
As of now, it’s too early to tell who will register interest in Valanciunas but it does sound like he won’t be staying with Washington for very long.
The post Insider Reveals When Wizards Will Likely Trade Key Player appeared first on The Cold Wire.