Latest news with #Cissoko
New York Times
06-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Kings to acquire Jonas Valančiūnas from Wizards for 2028, 2029 draft picks: Sources
The Washington Wizards are trading center Jonas Valančiūnas to the Sacramento Kings for second-round picks in 2028 and 2029 and Sidy Cissoko, league sources confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday. Marc Stein first reported the news. Valančiūnas, 32, brings Sacramento plenty of rim protection and rebounding, plus the ability to stretch the floor with 3-point shooting capabilities. The Lithuanian product was in his first season with Washington, averaging 11.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game on 54 percent shooting. The Wizards signed Valančiūnas to a three-year, $30 million deal over the summer but he mostly playing behind Alex Sarr, Washington's No. 2 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Advertisement Valančiūnas, playing for his fifth team in 13 seasons, aids in bolstering Sacramento's frontcourt with star Domantas Sabonis. Cissoko has played in just 17 games for the Kings this season. On Wednesday, Washington shipped Kyle Kuzma to the Milwaukee Bucks in a trade where the Wizards acquired Khris Middleton. What are we to make of the Wizards trading Valančiūnas to the Kings for a second-round pick in 2028, a second-round pick in 2029 and 20-year-old wing Cissoko? In its broadest scope, the Wizards' decision over the summer to sign Valančiūnas provided some instant offense, some defensive rebounding and some cover for Sarr to avoid getting shoved around by some of the league's most physical bigs. We now also know adding Valančiūnas also yielded a pair of future second-round picks and another young wing (Cissoko) with positional size (and an undeveloped skill set). The move to add Valančiūnas brought no 'win damage.' Having Valančiūnas on the team did nothing to derail the Wizards' hopes of protecting their 2025 draft lottery odds. In fact, even with Valančiūnas appearing in all of Washington's games, Washington still eked out only an 8-41 record, by far the worst record in the league. That's maximizing their lottery odds. — Josh Robbins, Wizards senior writer
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Grading the Jonas Valančiūnas trade: Why Kings earn a high mark by adding Wizards center
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.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Grading the Jonas Valančiūnas trade: Why Kings earn a high mark by adding Wizards big man
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.
