The 2025 NBA trade deadline is just over a month away (Feb. 6) and a few veterans on rebuilding teams are expected to be moved in the weeks leading up to it. NBA insider Marc Stein has shared an interesting update on a few of them, as he reports that the likes of Jonas Valanciunas are believed to be available for second-round picks.
“Other veterans believed to be available for second-round draft compensation with 39 days to go until the trade deadline include Valanciunas and Brogdon, Toronto’s Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown and Utah’s Jordan Clarkson,” Stein wrote.
All five of these would be solid additions to contending teams. Let’s take a look at them one by one.
Valanciunas is averaging 11.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Washington Wizards in 2024-25. The 32-year-old is on a decent contract too, as he is in the first year of a three-year, $30.2 million deal.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been heavily linked to Valanciunas as they reportedly view him as a solution to their big man issues outside of Anthony Davis. According to insider Anthony Irwin, the Lakers have been in talks with the Wizards over a Valanciunas trade and it’s expected that they’d offer Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick for him. Will that be enough? Time will tell.
Valanciunas’ Wizards teammate Malcolm Brogdon, meanwhile, would be somewhat of a risky acquisition. Brogdon is averaging 14.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2024-25 and, on paper, would be a fine pickup for second-round picks.
There is one concern when it comes to Brodgon, however, health. He has played over 60 games just once in the five seasons prior to this one and has already missed time this season after undergoing thumb surgery in the offseason. You’d just be praying the injury bug stays away if you acquire Brogdon, who is in the last year of a two-year, $45 million deal.
Speaking of injuries, the two Toronto Raptors players Stein mentioned have missed time too.
Kelly Olynyk suffered a back injury in the preseason and only made his season debut on Dec. 7. Olynyk has played fairly well since returning, averaging 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game for the Raptors in a reserve role. He would be a quality backup and the only question is whether teams might be put off by him being in the first year of a two-year, $26.2 million deal.
As for Bruce Brown, he only made his season debut against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Brown had undergone knee surgery on the eve of training camp and had 12 points, three rebounds, an assist, and a steal in his first game back.
Brown, who is now in the final year of a two-year, $45 million deal, was a man in-demand after helping the Denver Nuggets win the 2023 NBA title but his stock has gone down a bit thanks to his time on the sidelines. If he plays as well as he did against the Hawks in the coming weeks, you’d expect some teams to line up for his services.
The Golden State Warriors were reportedly targeting Olynyk and Brown but they have traded for Dennis Schroder since and it’s unclear if they’ll be making another move.
Last but not least, we get to Jordan Clarkson, who has seemingly had his name in trade rumors forever at this point. Clarkson is averaging 15.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Utah Jazz in 2024-25 and would be a pretty good sixth man on a contending team. He is in the first year of a two-year, $28.4 million deal but that’s unlikely to be too much of a deterrent considering his offensive production.
While it’s unlikely that all five of these players get traded, you should expect at least a couple of them to be. The asking price isn’t too high and they’d be quality rotation pieces for contenders and, in some cases, even starters.
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