Grading the Jonas Valančiūnas trade: Why Kings earn a high mark by adding Wizards big man

Yahoo

05-02-2025

In what is both unexpected and a bit random, the Sacramento Kings have acquired center Jonas Valančiūnas from the Washington Wizards for recently acquired Sidy Cissoko, and two second-round picks.
Let's grade the trade:
First, a bit of housekeeping. The Kings were able to move off Cissoko this soon because he wasn't packaged with another player.
(This needs mentioning as several teams are looking to potentially move off pieces that have recently been acquired, so if that's to become a theme prior to tomorrow's deadline, it's good to get that bit of info out of the way.)
Valančiūnas isn't a player who's been heavily involved in trade rumors, although his name has come up in regards to both the Lakers and Warriors during the earlier stages of the season.
Now he's a King, and he'll make for a highly effective addition off the bench given his scoring prowess, and elite rebounding capabilities.
Valančiūnas plays just 20.1 minutes per game this season, and is netting 11.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in those limited outings.
For a Kings team that has to rely almost exclusively on Domantas Sabonis to rebound — which he does at a ridiculously elite level himself — his fellow countryman Valančiūnas makes for a necessary, and wildly important, inclusion to the roster.
The Lithuanian duo will unquestionably grab a significant portion of the team's rebounds over the course of the rest of the season, just as both will offer hard screens for newly acquired Zach LaVine to utilize.
While we can debate all day long whether the Kings should have rebuilt as opposed to keep themselves competitive, they at least chose a direction, and make a quality add for that specific path.
This feels like a rock solid A, given how the Kings have chosen to proceed.
As for Washington, they get two second-rounders, and Cissoko, who's worth a flier. This isn't unlike the earlier addition of the day, when they took on AJ Johnson and draft equity from the Milwaukee Bucks in the Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma swap.
This is par for the course for the rebuilding Wizards, and rightfully so. They are in no rush to be competitive, and using the contract of Valančiūnas to get both younger, and replenish their draft cupboard, is just logical, good business.
Adding Cissoko to a roster that already has fellow Frenchmen Bilal Coulibaly and Alexandre Sarr is sure to be appreciated by the former Spur, who never quite cracked the rotation in San Antonio, and is now looking for a new shot.
With the second half of the season already underway, now is the time for Washington to throw some stuff at the wall, and see what sticks. Cissoko is worth at least a toss or two for the remainder of the year.
The Wizards did a solid job here, so B+ seems like a fair grade given their situation.