The Washington Wizards will consider trading Jonas Valanciunas at the trade deadline, but sources tell The Athletic they will be picky. The Wizards will not simply trade Valanciunas for late second round picks and will want a draft pick or a combination of picks that would appreciably help their rebuild.
If the Wizards were required to take back a highly paid player on a multi-year contract, they will seek extra pick compensation. Some believe two second rounders could be the maximum return the Wizards receive for trading Valanciunas.
The Wizards signed Valanciunas to a three-year, $30.3 million contract in July. The final year of his contract is non-guaranteed. Part of the reasoning in signing Valanciunas was to protect Alex Sarr from the physical rigors of defending other centers.
In a career-low 19.9 minutes per game entering Monday, he had averaged 11.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
