NBA Rumors: Jonas Valančiūnas, Wizards Agree to $30M Contract Amid Lakers Buzz

Free agent center Jonas Valančiūnas has agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract with the Washington Wizards, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Valančiūnas has played 12 NBA seasons with the Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans. The 6’11” big man averaged 12.2 PPG and 8.8 RPG in 2023-24. That season marked the final one of two-year, $30.1 million extension.

Valančiūnas was the subject of trade rumors in the summer of 2023 and leading up to the 2023-24 trade deadline, but he remained with the Pels for the duration of his contract.

His numbers ticked down a bit in 2023-24 with slightly less playing time, but Valančiūnas is ultimately a dependable and productive big man who still has something left in the tank in his second NBA decade. He can eat up minutes at the 5 and provide scoring and rebound help.

It may be too tall of a task to ask Valančiūnas to play up to 30 minutes per night, though. He’s also a center more comfortable staying close to the basket in a league where more well-rounded big men find themselves beyond the three-point arc, or where teams frequently go small.

The Wizards contract comes after Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported on the possibility of Valančiūnas landing with the Los Angeles Lakers: “Pelicans center Jonas Valančiūnas, who’s approaching unrestricted free agency, has been another big man often mentioned by NBA figures as a potential Lakers frontcourt addition this summer.”

Ultimately, though, Valančiūnas opted to sign with Washington.

Still, his double-double production can’t be ignored, and he should be a nice asset for the Wizards moving forward.