Top 3 trades the Wizards must make before the 2025 NBA trade deadline

Many NBA playoff contenders could use veteran depth before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and Washington Wizards they have three significant names. Kyle Kuzma, Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon have established records while still producing well enough to be valuable on a winning team.

Meanwhile, the The Wizards (6-36) are focused on player development and acquiring draft capital to speed up their rebuilding. Veterans such as Brogdon was brought in to be “culture builders” as they mentor youngsters such as second overall pick Alex Sarr and second-year guard Bilal Coulibaly. However, Washington must balance the value of keeping them with selling assets before their contracts expire.

There’s a better chance the Wizards keep the aforementioned veterans than land all three at the deadline, but let’s still explore viable trade scenarios for each.

Kyle Kuzma for the Sacramento Kings

Washington fans begged the team trade Kuzma more than a year, but the former NBA champion is unlikely to receive a first-round pick in return. Still, the Wizards could get a decent return if they play their cards right.

The Kings (22-20) are one of the main teams associated with Cozmas to the rumor mill despite the Dec. 30 firing of head coach Mike Brown. Although their season has been chaotic, they still sit in seventh place in the Western Conference and could use a boost in their second unit as they aim for the playoffs.

Kuzma is having a down year, but he would still fill that need for Sacramento. The 29-year-old is averaging 14.3 points on 42.4% shooting, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 27.4 minutes per game, which would easily make him the Kings’ best player off the bench.

A store that would they work for both sides is the Wizards dealing Kuzma for Kevin Huerter, Colby Jones and a 2026 second-round pick, via Fanspo’s NBA Trade Machine. While it’s ideal for Washington to get more picks, it wouldn’t have much leverage to ask for more with Huerter and Jones in the deal. Sacramento has to unload players to acquire Kuzma to stay under the No. 1 apron, so there isn’t a straightforward “Kuzma for the pick” scenario between these teams.

However, Huerter and Jones still provide value as younger bench players with multiple contract years. Huerter is 26 and locked up until 2026, while Jones is 22 and also locked in until 26 with a club option for next season.

Most importantly, the pick would add to Washington’s war chest of selections that it can use for future trades or to draft players.

Jonas Valanciunas to the Los Angeles Lakers

Valanciunas has been linked to the Lakers months, as he would be the perfect backup to Anthony Davis. The 32-year-old is averaging 11.6 points on 56.1% shooting to go along with 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 19.7 minutes off the bench this season. He would be a clear upgrade over Jackson Hayes and would undoubtedly help injury-prone Davis stay fresh down the stretch.

A good return for Washington would be two Lakers second rounders in 2025 as well as Gabe Vincent. This would give the Wizards a whopping five second-round picks in the upcoming draft, arming them with plenty of ammunition to move into the first round or get another player.

Meanwhile, Vincent would be a salary dump for Los Angeles. For this deal to work, the Lakers must send at least the $9.9 million Valanciunas is making this season back to Washington, as they must stay below the second floor. Vincent, who is averaging just 4.6 points per game on 39.7 percent shooting in 19.7 minutes, figures to be $11.01 million against the cap.

Malcolm Brogdon to the Dallas Mavericks

Brogdon (foot) isn’t as prevalent in injury rumors, but he’s been effective this year when healthy. The 32-year-old is averaging 13.8 points per game on 44.3% shooting with 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 24.8 minutes in 18 contests, and would be good insurance for Luka Doncic (calf). Slovenian superstar he wants to come back before the All-Star break, via ESPN’s Shams Charania, but Brogdon’s presence could take the pressure off him.

Ditto for Kyrie Irving, who recently missed two weeks with a bulging disc in his back. The future Hall of Famer is now off the injury report, but who knows if and when he’ll have another bout?

Assuming Brodgdon returns soon, the Wizards could send him and a 2027 second-rounder for Najib Marshall, Maxi Kleber and a 2025 second-rounder. Trading picks allows them to get more short-term capital, and they already have three other players from ’27 anyway. Furthermore, Marshall is an effective backup, averaging 11 points on 50.3% shooting with 3.6 boards in 24.7 minutes per game. The 26-year-old has two years left on his contract.

In the end, Kleber would be a salary dump for Dallas keeping him under the first apron.

The bottom line is that Washington is unlikely to get any blockbuster returns for these players. Still, something is better than nothing, especially in Brogdon’s case. The current Sixth Man of the Year’s contract expires at the end of this season, while Kuzma and Valanciunas each have two more years left. The Wizards could wait to deal the last two if they don’t like their current offers, or even keep all three depending on Brogdon’s injury.

Nonetheless, Washington has options and is unlikely to settle for uninspiring trade returns for the sake of a deal. The organization will only make moves that it thinks will really help its rebuilding process.