How Wizards were affected by Luka Doncic, De'Aron Fox trades
03/04/2025 08:19 PM
The 2025 NBA trade deadline was unlike any other, including for the Washington Wizards. The team overhauled its roster within two days, acquiring new veterans and a bevy of long-term assets in exchange for other veterans and second-round picks.
One of the veterans the Wizards gave up was Jonas Valanciunas, who they acquired in a sign-and-trade with the New Orleans Pelicans over the summer. The 32-year-old was temporarily brought in to set an example for No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr, who’s also a stretch big.
Sources around the league expected Washington to trade Valanciunas either before the deadline or by the 2025 offseason. One of the highest-speculated trade partners was the Los Angeles Lakers, who didn’t have a proven backup behind Anthony Davis.
Of course, the Dallas Mavericks then shocked the basketball world by swapping Luka Doncic for Davis in a blockbuster deal with the Purple and Gold on Feb. 2. This left Los Angeles with an even bigger need at center.
So why didn’t the Wizards trade Valanciunas to the Lakers?
Wizards stayed disciplined through chaotic trade deadline
By this point, Washington hadn’t made any moves, but there was still time. The club had four days left to upgrade, so there was no need to rush. However, the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, and Chicago Bulls made their own headlines with a three-team deal that sent Fox to the Spurs and Lavine to the Kings just hours after the Doncic trade.
This was even more significant for the Wizards, as Kuzma had been heavily linked to Sacramento. Acquiring Lavine took the Kings off the table as a Kuzma suitor, though, which may have been nerve-wracking for Washington fans who wanted the disgruntled veteran gone. Still, there were three-and-a-half days left to get deals done.
The Wizards took two-and-a-half, sending Valanciunas to the Kings for Sidy Cissoko and two second-rounders on Feb. 5. Sacramento had just acquired Cissoko in the Fox trade, and Washington waived him shortly after this deal.
While the Lakers had a massive hole at center, so did the Kings. Damontas Sabonis is a power forward/center hybrid, but they had nobody reliable behind him in the rotation. Acquiring Valanciunas changed that, and in turn gave Washington more draft capital to add to its war chest.
One day later, Los Angeles agreed to terms with the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams. The 23-year-old is younger and better than Valanciunas, but the Lakers may regret not getting the latter player instead, as they nixed the deal after Williams failed his physical.
Shortly before that, the Wizards dealt Kuzma to the Milwaukee Bucks for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, and a 2028 first-round pick swap. This was an impressive haul for Kuzma, especially considering that he was having one of his worst seasons and Sacramento was out of the sweepstakes.
The situation forced Washington’s front office to get the best value possible under pressure, and it did. Johnson was the most important acquisition out of these two deals, as the rookie is averaging 20 points on 46.7 percent shooting (45.5 percent 3 PT) across 30.9 minutes per game for the Wizards’ G League affiliate and has shown flashes in limited NBA action. The 20-year-old could be a big piece of the organization’s future if he develops well.
Rookie A.J. Johnson with a tough and-1 late in the Wizards' loss to the Heat. Johnson only played 4 min., but made an impact on both ends on this play. pic.twitter.com/p23VrXbPgb
— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) March 4, 2025
The fact that the Wizards got out of this chaotic period without making any big mistakes is a good sign for the organization going forward. It’s easy to fold under pressure during a time crunch, but Will Dawkins and company showed that they can make quality deals even with the trade market moving at light speed.
The full timeline of the wild 2025 trade deadline is linked here.
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