With about three weeks until the NBA Trade Deadline, the transfer rumors will become more and more insistent. The last one? That of a potential trade sending Jonas Valanciunas to the Knicks.
Valanciunas is a veteran pivot who plays in a franchise in total reconstruction, and who is therefore logically a candidate for a transfer. The Knicks are an ambitious team but one that lacks depth, particularly in the paint.
It was enough to connect the great Lithuanian to the New York franchise.
The New York Knicks will target Jonas Valančiūnas to pair with Karl Anthony Towns if the Knicks choose to move on from Mitchell Robinson ????
(via The Athletic) pic.twitter.com/540OZSSOKt
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_)
According to insider Ian Begley (CUT), the Knicks could try to obtain Valanciunas between now and the trade deadline while Mitchell Robinson is still in the infirmary.
The basic plan is still to see Robinson return from injury to strengthen the interior rotation behind KAT (or alongside him), but his return is long overdue. As a reminder, Mitch has not played since the last Playoffs and had to have ankle surgery during the offseason. His return is not expected until the end of January at the earliest. Not very reassuring, we must admit, even if let’s not forget that Robinson is a rebounding monster and a real defensive presence (which the Knicks sorely need) when he is healthy.
League sources tell The Athletic that the Wizards will consider dealing Jonas Valančiūnas before the trade deadline if the right deal comes along.
But finding a trade that serves the team long-term will be challenging.
What a deal could look like ⤵️https://t.co/1slGzV9POT
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA)
If Jonas Valanciunas has a different profile than Mitchell Robinson (much less impactful in defense), there is no doubt that his large frame (2m11, 120 kilos) would bring interior toughness to the Knicks. But it may be complicated to obtain him knowing that he will be coveted on the transfer market and that the Wizards do not simply want to sell him off. We are talking about an experienced player who still contributes 11 points and 8 rebounds per game and who is playing under a very good contract (3 years, 30 million dollars, last year not guaranteed).
According to The AthleticWashington is seeking to obtain in exchange for Jonas a good draft pick (first round, start of second round), or several second round picks, in order to accelerate its reconstruction. The Knicks are very limited in first-round picks to transfer (because of the four picks sent to Brooklyn in the Mikal Bridges trade) but have eight second-round picks to transfer in a potential trade. Can two of them be used on Valanciunas?
Response by February 6, 2025.
Sources texte : Ian Begley, The Athletic
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