Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, and head coach JJ Redick answer questions during a press conference.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Lakers remain interested in Washington Wizards center Jonas Valan\u010di\u016bnas even after acquiring 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith and reserve guard Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets.<\/p>\n
Valan\u010di\u016bnas, however, kept it coy amid the reported Lakers\u2019 interest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have social media,\u201d Valan\u010di\u016bnas told reporters after the Wizards\u2019 126-106 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday, December 30. \u201cThat\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the Lithuanian center was more open when he talked about the Knicks\u2019 interest in the offseason before they pulled off the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how serious that was. My agent was handling,\u201d Valanciunas told The New York Post. \u201cI heard something from that side. But there\u2019s a lot of X\u2019s and O\u2019s. Salary cap issues, this and that. Strategic stuff. Every team does what they think is the best for them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n 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\u2018 shortlist of then-free agents he was willing to take a paycut for.<\/p>\n But Valan\u010di\u016bnas 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.<\/p>\n Despite playing on a rebuilding team, Valan\u010di\u016bnas isn\u2019t slacking off. He\u2019s showing his next team he\u2019s the consummate pro after producing 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a block in just 21 minutes in the loss.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat can happen in the future, maybe tomorrow, maybe even today, I don\u2019t know,\u201d Valanciunas told The New York Post about the possibility of getting traded. \u201cIf it happens, it happens. It\u2019s a young team still putting the pieces together. Everything can happen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Holdup in Jonas Valanciunas Trade Talks<\/strong><\/p>\n Valan\u010di\u016bnas would have been a Laker by now, but the Wizards have been playing hardball, according to Clutchpoints\u2019 Anthony Irwin.<\/p>\n \u201cJonas Valan\u010di\u016bnas has obviously been a popular name linked to the Lakers and they\u2019re 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\u2019s expiring contract, league sources say,\u201d Irwin wrote.<\/em><\/p>\n With Russell gone, the Lakers no longer have a midsized expiring salary to offer to the Wizards.<\/p>\n Irwin added the Wizards have pivoted off the Lakers and \u201cis now canvassing the league for a better offer than L.A. can now make.\u201d<\/p>\n Lakers New Additions \u2018Cleared\u2019 to Play vs. Cavaliers<\/strong><\/p>\n 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 \u201cbeen cleared\u201d to play, according to ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in a good spot with our starting group right now,\u201d Redick told reporters, per ESPN. \u201cSo, he\u2019ll play and he\u2019ll come off the bench, and like I\u2019ve told you guys several times, I want consistency with that group, but I\u2019m not going to be stubborn and locked into something if it\u2019s not working. But it\u2019s working right now, and [Finney-Smith] is a guy that can fit in very easily with any lineup and any sort of roster.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 Valan\u010di\u016bnas… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22444,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n