Jonas Valančiūnas DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunasis available to play ahead of Thursday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Valanciunas was acquired by the Kings from the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. The assumption is that Valanciunas is going to operate as the primary backup center to Domantas Sabonis. Valanciunas was putting up fairly decent numbers in Washington, but it's unknown what kind of role he'll have in Sacramento. For now, fantasy managers should hold Valanciunas and wait to see what he's able to do with his new team.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Wizards are trading center Jonas Valanciunas to the Kings in exchange for guard Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks. Sacramento recently moved De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio and acquired guard Zach LaVine. However, the Kings will add a quality big man to bolster their depth chart. Valanciunas has averaged 13.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists throughout his career. While he's not as efficient on the defensive end, he provides double-double upside and can help take some pressure off Domantas Sabonis. Valanciunas isn't a lock to see consistent minutes with his new team. Still, fantasy managers should monitor him moving forward, especially if he gets some starts at the five moving ahead.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas is expected to move on from Louisiana as a free agent this summer and has been linked with the Los Angeles Lakers. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Valanciunas has been "often mentioned by NBA figures as a potential Lakers frontcourt addition." It was recently suggested that the Lakers are looking to pick up a center this offseason to give Anthony Davis more minutes as a power forward. Valanciunas, who celebrated his 32nd birthday last month, is coming off a disappointing season. After averaging a double-double in five consecutive campaigns, the Lithuanian big man was limited to 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes.

The New Orleans Pelicans are expected to move on from center Jonas Valanciunas this offseason. The 32-year-old will officially be an unrestricted free agent this summer, with the Pelicans planning to construct the roster to complement the skillset of Zion Williamson better. But Valanciunas, averaging 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds during the 2023-24 campaign, will draw interest from at least a handful of teams. Although his production was down last season, he's among the most durable big men in the National Basketball Association. With that in mind, if Valanciunas finds a stable role for a new team, he could continue to provide double-double upside for fantasy managers.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas finished Wednesday's heavy 124-92 loss to the Thunder in Game 2 as the team's top scorer, netting 19 points in 23 minutes on 8-for-14 shooting. The Lithuanian big man had an incredible start to the contest, scoring all of New Orleans' first 11 points. A Herbert Jones triple broke Valanciunas' scoring run at the 7:58 mark in the first quarter. After gobbling up 20 rebounds in Game 1, Valanciunas settled for seven boards this time, adding two assists to his tally. The Pelicans center has been productive in the series, but his defensive shortcoming resulted in Chet Holmgren getting 20 first-half points in Game 2. The veteran definitely has to improve at that end to earn consistent playing time.