The Sacramento Kings already made a notable deal ahead of this year’s trade deadline. However, it looks like they are not done just yet. Less than a week ago, the Kings shipped De’Aaron Fox out to the San Antonio Spurs and landed Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls. By making this trade, the Kings reunited LaVine with his former Bulls teammate, DeMar DeRozan. Now, the Kings have reunited DeRozan with another past teammate–Jonas Valanciunas.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Kings acquired Valanciunas from the Washington Wizards. In return, the Wizards got the recently-acquired Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks.
The Washington Wizards are trading Jonas Valanciunas to the Sacramento Kings for Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2025
Valanciunas and DeRozan were teammates for six years with the Toronto Raptors.
Sacramento Kings Trade for Jonas Valanciunas from the Washington Wizards
Jonas Valanciunas Was A Top Trade Candidate
In the offseason, Valanciunas signed a three-year, $30.3 million contract to join the Wizards. The deal was a bit of a shock at the time. Immediately, many expected him to be traded during the season. Before joining the Kings, numerous teams had reported interest in Valanciunas. This mostly includes the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, and Phoenix Suns.
On the year, Valanciunas appeared in 49 games for Washington, starting 12 of them. In those games, he averaged 11.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He also shot 54.7% from the field.
This is already the second trade the Wizards made on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, they traded Kyle Kuzma to the Milwaukee Bucks for Khris Middleton.
What Jonas Valanciunas Brings to Sacramento
The Lithuanian native is in the midst of his 13th season and brings a veteran presence with him to the Kings. Additionally, he is still a capable big man and can offer value on offense and as a rebounder. With the Kings in particular, he will provide solid depth behind Domantas Sabonis. He is a low-risk, high-reward acquisition for the Kings, especially given their standing in the league.
Currently, the Kings are 25-24 and own the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. However, after trading Fox, the team could be in line for a bit of a slump. While acquiring Valanciunas is far from a game-changer, it is still a solid move to bolster their roster ahead of the All-Star break
With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, the Kings remain a team to monitor.
Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
