Feb 8, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8), center Jonas Valaciunas (17) and forward Jake LaRavia (33) look up after pushing the button to light the beam after a win against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

13-Year NBA Veteran Gets Honest About Trade to Kings

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated May 17, 2025 2:47 PM ET

After trading away star point guard De'Aaron Fox, the Sacramento Kings made a few moves that undoubtedly improved the team and put them in a position to compete. Of course, as part of the Fox blockbuster, the Kings acquired two-time All-Star Zach LaVine, but a couple of other trades really stood out.

At the deadline, the Kings knew they needed frontcourt help, and they easily found their solution. The Kings finalized an incredible trade to acquire Jonas Valanciunas from the Washington Wizards, sending out Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks in return.

The 13-year NBA veteran was huge for the Kings down the stretch, averaging 8.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in just 16.9 minutes per game through 32 appearances after the trade.

Jonas Valanciunas tonight:

• 15 points
• 14 rebounds
• 4 steals
• 3 blocks

Man. pic.twitter.com/rpkSR7k2KM
— Skyler (KFR) (@SacFilmRoom) March 2, 2025

Valanciunas' future with the Kings is fairly uncertain, but even at age 33, he is a very productive backup. Heading into the offseason, Valanciunas revealed that a few other teams were interested in him before he was sent to Sacramento.

"I found out I was going to Domas (Sabonis),” Valanciunas said." There were other teams in the mix — some new potential destinations. But there wasn’t much talk about Domas and Sacramento. Denver (Nuggets) came up, Phoenix (Suns) too — things were unclear there with Nurkic. San Antonio (Spurs) was also in the picture."

Valanciunas also told the story about how he found out about the trade.

I remember I was in New York, we were getting ready to play Brooklyn. I woke up from my afternoon nap and saw that my agent had called me three times, left a few messages, and even Domas had called,” Valanciunas said. “...I called my agent first, then called Domas back, and that’s how I found out I was headed to Sacramento."

Trading for Valanciunas was one of the best moves the Kings could have made at the deadline, especially by pairing him with Lithuanian teammate Domantas Sabonis. Guys like Valanciunas and Jake LaRavia came up huge for Sacramento down the stretch, and the franchise will likely do all they can to keep them around.

This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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