Jonas Valanciunas' Status for Kings vs Trail Blazers

The Sacramento Kings' newly-acquired center could make his debut against the Portland Trail Blazers

Jan 19, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) runs up the court during the fourth quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings have stayed busy ahead of the NBA trade deadline, highlighted by the major move to send De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs while bringing in Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls.

While the Fox for LaVine trade was massive, the Kings have made a couple of under-the-radar moves to significantly improve their lineup.

Possibly the most underrated move of the NBA trade deadline was the Kings acquiring Jonas Valanciunas from the Washington Wizards, filling a huge hole that they had in their lineup.

For anyone not familiar with Jonas Valanciunas’s game, here’s some highlights for you. This was against the Kings 2 weeks ago he finished with 23 pts 12 Rebs 3 assist
One thing this clip does not show: he can also spread the floor and shoot the deep ball, A VERY GOOD PICK UP pic.twitter.com/umJ6XWT4py

— SactownPete (@PMasih007) February 5, 2025

The Kings were in desperate need of a reliable backup center, and Valanciunas was an ideal option to fill that void. Not only does Valanciunas have ties with Kings stars Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan, but he is a great pickup who will make an immediate impact in Sacramento's second unit.

As the Kings gear up to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, Valanciunas is reportedly available to make his Sacramento debut, per ESPN1320's James Ham.

According to a league source, Jonas Valanciunas is available for the Sacramento Kings tonight in Portland.

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) February 6, 2025

Valanciunas, 32, is averaging 11.5 points and 8.2 rebounds this season, as the 13-year NBA veteran has proven how effective he can be down low. While he was playing a career-low 20.1 minutes per game for the Wizards this season, Valanciunas should have no trouble playing a significant role in Sacramento, especially after the Kings traded away Alex Len on Thursday.

It will be interesting to see how Doug Christie approaches the Kings' new-look rotation, but expect Valanciunas to get significant minutes on Thursday night in Portland.

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