Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, and head coach JJ Redick answer questions during a press conference.
The Los Angeles Lakers remain interested in Washington Wizards center Jonas Valančiūnas even after acquiring 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith and reserve guard Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets.
Valančiūnas, however, kept it coy amid the reported Lakers’ interest.
“I don’t have social media,” Valančiūnas told reporters after the Wizards’ 126-106 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday, December 30. “That’s all.”
But the Lithuanian center was more open when he talked about the Knicks’ interest in the offseason before they pulled off the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.
“I don’t know how serious that was. My agent was handling,” Valanciunas told The New York Post. “I heard something from that side. But there’s a lot of X’s and O’s. Salary cap issues, this and that. Strategic stuff. Every team does what they think is the best for them.”
His former agent, Leon Rose, is now running the Knicks organization. But the Lakers showed more interest in him in the offseason, so much that he was on LeBron James‘ shortlist of then-free agents he was willing to take a paycut for.
But Valančiūnas opted for the sure thing instead of waiting for the Lakers, agreeing to a sign-and-trade with the Wizards for a three-year, $30.2 million deal.
Despite playing on a rebuilding team, Valančiūnas isn’t slacking off. He’s showing his next team he’s the consummate pro after producing 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a block in just 21 minutes in the loss.
“What can happen in the future, maybe tomorrow, maybe even today, I don’t know,” Valanciunas told The New York Post about the possibility of getting traded. “If it happens, it happens. It’s a young team still putting the pieces together. Everything can happen.”
The Holdup in Jonas Valanciunas Trade Talks
Valančiūnas would have been a Laker by now, but the Wizards have been playing hardball, according to Clutchpoints’ Anthony Irwin.
“Jonas Valančiūnas has obviously been a popular name linked to the Lakers and they’re still considered relative leaders in the clubhouse for his services. But the Washington Wizards have pushed for more draft capital than the Lakers have been interested in giving up and also pursued Russell’s expiring contract, league sources say,” Irwin wrote.
With Russell gone, the Lakers no longer have a midsized expiring salary to offer to the Wizards.
Irwin added the Wizards have pivoted off the Lakers and “is now canvassing the league for a better offer than L.A. can now make.”
Lakers New Additions ‘Cleared’ to Play vs. Cavaliers
Finney-Smith and Milton are set to make their Lakers debut Tuesday, December 31, against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both players have passed their medicals and have “been cleared” to play, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Lakers rookie coach JJ Redick told reporters both Finney-Smith and Milton will come off the bench as he plans to stick with the same starting lineup.
“We’re in a good spot with our starting group right now,” Redick told reporters, per ESPN. “So, he’ll play and he’ll come off the bench, and like I’ve told you guys several times, I want consistency with that group, but I’m not going to be stubborn and locked into something if it’s not working. But it’s working right now, and [Finney-Smith] is a guy that can fit in very easily with any lineup and any sort of roster.”
