The Washington Wizards are trading Jonas Valanciunas to the Sacramento Kings for Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday.
The deal comes ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
Sacramento is using most of its $12.8 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception to acquire Valanciunas’ $9.9 million salary. Sources told ESPN’s Bobby Marks that the Kings are sending a 2028 Denver Nuggets second-round pick (if No. 34-60) and their own second-rounder in 2029 to Washington. The Denver second-round pick was acquired from San Antonio in the De’Aaron Fox trade.
Valanciunas, 32, was in his first season with Washington after signing a three-year, $30 million deal with the Wizards last June.
He has started the majority of his 13-year career, but he has been coming off the bench this season behind No. 2 pick Alex Sarr.
Valanciunas, a 6-foot-11 center, boasts an excellent touch around the rim and has the ability to stretch the floor at times, particularly from 3-point range.
The moves reunites Valanciunas with DeMar DeRozan, his former teammate in Toronto.
It also gives the Kings a powerful, all-Lithuanian frontcourt with Valanciunas and Domantas Sabonis, former Olympic teammates. Each has 376 career double-doubles, tied for 12th-most among active players.
Both the Wizards and Kings have been busy ahead of the deadline.
Earlier Wednesday, Washington acquired Khris Middleton from the Bucks as part of a deal that sent Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee.
And the Kings previously acquired Zach LaVine as part of the three-team deal that sent Fox to the Spurs. Cissoko was also part of that deal.
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