NBA Trade Rumors: Warriors set to target Wizards center and Jazz forward ahead of trade deadline
The Golden State Warriors have Washington Wizards big Jonas Valanciunas and Toronto Raptors F/C Kelly Olynyk on their radar. The latest reports per Brett Siegel saw the two bigs listed as potential trade targets for the Bay area side that's currently perched at the top of the West on the back of an impressive 11-3 record.
Siegel had earlier tweeted whether the Warriors could use DeAnthony Melton's salary and club another player to add an impactful player as part of their rotation. It's worth noting that the Warriors are hard-capped at the first apron.
This comes on the back of trade talks around Golden State's second-year guard Brandin Podziemski. A season ago, he was deemed untouchable in trade talks. ESPN's Tim Bontemps added that his name will still be around as the trade deadline approaches.
Jonas Valanciunas has been one of the key names listed as potential trade targets for the LA Lakers as well. The Purple and Gold were linked as key players keen on adding the Wizards center as well.
How does Jonas Valanciunas help the Warriors and the Lakers?
The Golden State Warriors and LA Lakers are teams that have played contrasting defense so far this season. While the former has been a top-five defensive side, the Lakers are at the near bottom of the league on that front. Adding a big like Valanciunas bolsters the Dubs' size while adding a backup center for LA who are heavily reliant on Anthony Davis.
Valančiūnas is a traditional bruising center around the rim. He is a neat post scorer and a fierce rebounder, but he has his flaws in terms of volume and efficiency in his outside shot. But with the Lakers reserve bigs all sidelined, they will be eagerly shopping the market to add a bonafide center to their fold. At the time of writing, he is averaging 12.6 points and 7.1 rebounds — numbers that aren't necessarily massive but are helpful for the side as they look to add more rim protection.
At this stage, the Lakers will still keep their options open as they are keen to add a center who can also add to their offense in the non-AD minutes. The Warriors will also keep an eye out for centers who can reduce the burden on Draymond Green, although this would mean sacrificing some of their depth if they pull the trigger on the move.