Wizards Free Agency News and Notes
The Wizards have made one free agent signing so far, but could other moves be on the way?
Washington Wizards, Jonas Valanciunas, NBA Free Agency / Rob Carr/GettyImages
The Wizards made an early splash on Day 1 of free agency by signing big man Jonas Valanciunas to a three year, $30 million contract that does not include a team or player option according to league sources. Valanciunas had spent the last three seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans where he was able to shore up their defensive rebounding and rim protection, playing center next to Zion Williamson.
The Lithuanian big man is finally getting his chance to play for the Wizards after the organization showed interest in him in the 2011 draft where he was the fifth pick to the Toronto Raptors just before the Wizards picked sixth. Over the course of his 12-year NBA career, Valanciunas has amassed averages 13.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. The stat that makes Valanciunas dependable as a starting center in this league has been the fact that over the last three seasons, he has played a total of 235 of a possible 246 games.
Last season the Wizards were one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, ranking second to last in overall rebounds at just 41.1 rebounds per game. Valanciunas should be able to help out immediately with that number as he averaged 8.8 rebounds per game in just 23.5 minutes per game. Simply put, Valanciunas is a rebounding machine, who brings a very specific skill set to a point of need for the Wizards. Valanciunas is a very skilled big man with the requisite size to shore up the Wizards front line and help ease number two overall draft pick Alex Sarr into his role as the Wizards center for the future.
With his contract being an affordable annual salary of just $10 million per season, Valanciunas will be able to contribute on the court immediately and also be a valuable trade asset in the future. With the salary coming in at under $12 million, he will be able to fit perfectly into the mid-level exception (MLE) if the Wizards were to try to move him at any point over the next three seasons.
Other Wizards Free Agency Scuttlebutt
A lot of Wizards fans have been inquiring about what the team will get for last year’s starting point guard Tyus Jones in a potential sign and trade and I am here to report that unfortunately that market has not looked as fruitful as the Wizards and Jones had hoped coming into the start of free agency. One of the issues is that Jones is looking for starter money and there just isn’t a high demand for him to be a starting point guard right now from teams with cap space. The team will continue to exhaust all of their options with the hopes of finding Jones a new home and get him paid, but both parties are prepared to come back to the table and work out an affordable long-term deal with the Wizards that would essentially reset his trade market for this season’s trade deadline.
Malcolm Brogdon, who was acquired by the Wizards in the deal that sent Deni Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers, is being shopped around the league with the Wizards’ asking price being a future first round pick. Malcolm Brogdon still has a lot of value among teams around the league, as he is just one season removed from being the league’s Sixth Man of the Year. If the team cannot get a first round pick for Brogdon then they will more than likely settle for a young player and a few second round picks.
There has been interest shown from a few teams in Wizards guard Landry Shamet, but my league sources tell me that no deal is imminent for Shamet at this time and that he may have to return to the Wizards for another season and continue to improve his trade value with more consistent play on the court.
The Wizards find themselves in a very interesting position heading into the 2024-25 season of trying to develop their young players, but also trying to increase the value of a slew of tradeable assets on the team. The priority will clearly be the development of their young players, which will begin next week at the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League.