Grading Valanciunas’ NBA free agent deal with Washington

The Washington Wizards have come to terms with free agent center Jonas Valanciunas. ESPN reports that the contract is worth $30 million over three years. We’ll take a closer look at the deal from Valanciunas’ standpoint, as well as the Wizards’. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Valanciunas is a solid center, as he’s nearly averaged a double-double for his career. The annual salary figures to be about right for someone of his caliber, as this pact will take the Lithuanian big man into his mid-thirties. From a landing spot aspect, it seems like Valanciunas could have done much better, as Washington is one of the worst teams in the NBA.

The New York Times openly questioned whether Valanciunas’ signing makes sense for the Wizards. They pointed out that Washington needed help in the defensive rebounding department, but also conceded that this move is a bit puzzling considering their NBA Draft picks. Washington just selected center Alexandre Sarr with the second overall pick.

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The desire to bring Valanciunas to Washington makes even less sense when considering that the franchise elected to extend the contract of center Richaun Holmes before free agency. How Holmes, Sarr and Valanciunas can all play effectively together on the same team is anyone’s guess.

The fact that Valanciunas ended up in Washington is somewhat of a surprise. Heavy’s website wrote about the Lakers’ potential courtship of the veteran center, which would have seemed like a more attractive destination for him on the surface. At the end of the day, though, the Wizards seemed to be the most aggressive suitor.

RealGM looked at the signing from a different angle, stating that the Wizards have often tried to rely on young players to their detriment. Having a true professional like Valanciunas might give other players an example of someone to look up to as they try to establish themselves in the NBA.

It was reported by Basket News that Valanciunas will not play for Lithuania in the 2024 Olympic Games, due to him coming into the summer as an NBA fee agent. It’s possible that he did not want to jeopardize his last notable payday in the league by possibly getting injured during international competition.

Valanciunas has made his living as a strong back to the basket scorer, and helping to clean the glass. His value will mostly continue to be derived in the paint, but he’s been more apt to take perimeter shots in recent years. On a rebuilding Wizards team, he might be encouraged to increase his attempts from distance as Washington looks for offensive punch.

The three-year, $30 million deal is an easy asset to move in the future. There could be any number of reasons why Washington might look to deal Valanciunas, even though they’re looking forward to his services. If Sarr turns into a star, they might want to open up more minutes for him. They might also want to deal Valanciunas for a draft pick if they continue to struggle.

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Teams that go small against the Wizards could force them to take Valanciunas off the floor. In those matchups, they might want to call on Sarr or Holmes to man the middle. Watching Valanciunas square off with Chet Holmgren during the 2024 NBA playoffs was intriguing, as the slender Holmgren had trouble stopping the Lithuanian in the post. However, Valanciunas had trouble staying in front of him on the perimeter.