Bearking news Lakers Already In Talks About Jonas Valanciunas; Eying Markelle Fultz As Free Agent

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly on the verge of making some major changes during this trade season, as the team has multiple holes it needs to fill and can’t blame their struggles on coaching anymore. Lakers target Jonas Valanciunas is eligible for trade after December 15, with Anthony Irwin reporting that the  as soon as Jonas is eligible to be moved.

“Given the Lakers’ injury issues at center and their tedious hold of the eighth seed in the West, league sources believe Pelinka will get to work right away on acquiring Valanciunas… According to those I’ve spoken to with knowledge of the situation, Washington and L.A. have already held preliminary talks about a Valanciunas deal, and the expectation is for those talks to ramp up once he can be traded.”

Irwin indicated what the potential trade package for Valanciunas could be, primarily including guard Gabe Vincent and second-round draft compensation.

“The expectation is for the Lakers to offer (Gabe) Vincent and second-round pick compensation to the Wizards. They may also attach one of their veteran minimum contracts (Christian Wood, Cam Reddish, or Jaxson Hayes) in the deal to give themselves more room under the second apron and to open a roster spot.”

This deal would allow the Lakers to remain under the second apron and maintain flexibility for additional trades. However, the second-round pick compensation could be high if the Lakers want to execute the deal immediately after

If they meet that price, it would ensure no other team can land Valanciunas but the Lakers could wait until deeper in the season to see if his price softens. The Washington Wizards center is averaging 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds this season, with

In his article, Irwin also shared that if the Lakers end up moving Vincent in a deal for Valanciunas, they could target free-agent guard Markelle Fultz as a backup replacement.