Sacramento Kings acquire veteran center Jonas Valanciunas from Washington

Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas taking a breather during a game against the Chicago Bulls (2025)
Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas taking a breather during a game against the Chicago Bulls (2025) Michael Reaves/Getty Images/AFP
The Sacramento Kings acquired center Jonas Valanciunas (32) in a trade that sends forward Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks to the Washington Wizards ahead of Thursday's deadline.

The Kings now add another Lithuanian big man to their lineup to back up star player Domantas Sabonis. Sacramento is currently 25-24 and sitting at eighth in the Western Conference.

The Wizards also recently dealt forward Kyle Kuzma to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for forwards Khris Middleton and AJ Johnson along with a first-round pick swap in 2028.

Valanciunas' 11.5 points per game this season is the lowest since his second year in the league (2013-2014). His 8.2 rebounds per game is the lowest since the 2018-2019 season (7.2) while his 25.9 three-point percentage is a career-worst. 

The 13-year veteran has a current cap hit of $9.9 million this season then $10.39 million (2025-2026) and $10 million (2026-2027) before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Cissoko is a former 2023 second-round pick, averaging just 1.3 points and 3.2 minutes per game this year for the Kings this season. He was originally part of a three-team trade recently that sent Chicago Bulls forward Zach Lavine to Sacramento and guard De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio.