According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Sacramento Kings have traded Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks to the Washington Wizards for Jonas Valanciunas. The Kings acquired Cissoko in the deal that sent De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs. Now, they land a true backup big man to Domanatas Sabonis.
Up to this point in the season, the Kings haven’t really had a backup five behind Sabonis. Alex Len has gotten some opportunities, and Trey Lyles has played at that spot a little bit. Isaac Jones has played some minutes, too. Valanciunas will immediately step in and be able to play rotational minutes in Sacramento.
Let’s grade the deal for both teams.
Grading Kings trade for Jonas Valanciunas
Valanciunas has been having a solid season in Washington. He signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Wizards this summer, but just 49 games into his tenure, he’s out the door.
So far this year, Valanciunas has averaged 11.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 54.7% from the floor and 25.9% from beyond the three-point arc.
At 32 years old, Valanciunas is entering the final years of his career, but he’ll still be a solid, cost-controlled option for the Kings for the next few years.
Sacramento could have kept Cissoko and taken a look at him, but flipping him and two seconds for a legitimate backup center is a great deal.
The only thing that brings this grade down is the fact that the Kings could have probably gotten a better defensive big to back up Sabonis and give them a new look. Still, this is a solid trade.
Grade: B
Grading the Wizards trading Jonas Valanciunas to Kings
As solid as this trade is for the Kings, it’s even better for the Wizards. At this point in his career, Valanciunas is probably on the decline, and Washington managed to sign him and trade him within a year.
They got an interesting prospect in Cissoko and added two more second-rounders to their ever-growing arsenal.
Though Cissoko hasn’t earned many opportunities up to this point in his NBA career, that’s exactly why Washington is the perfect landing spot for him. At just 20 years old, Cissoko will be able to earn a ton of opportunities on a very young Wizards team.
This is a massive win for a Wizards team that is dominating the trade deadline so far.
Grade: A+