Ex-Pelicans Starter Breaks Silence on Knicks Trade Interest

The New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards face off on Friday night for the first time this season. Jonas Valanciunas will face his old team for the first time since the Pelicans traded the Lithuanian center this past summer. Valanciunas spent three seasons in New Orleans, averaging 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds last season.

Since joining the Wizards this year, many have speculated the 6-foot-11 center would be moved to help a contender needing frontcourt help. Teams like the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers were rumored to be interested in the former first-round pick. Valanciunas recently addressed the trade rumors surrounding his name.

“I don’t know how serious that was. My agent was handling,” Valanciunas told The New York Post. “I heard something from that side. But there’s a lot of X’s and O’s. Salary cap issues, this and that. Strategic stuff. Every team does what they think is the best for them.”

“What can happen in the future, maybe tomorrow, maybe even today, I don’t know,” Valanciunas said about the possibility of being dealt. “If it happens, it happens. It’s a young team still putting the pieces together. Everything can happen.”

Any team that acquires Valanciunas can expect the veteran to be available to play. Last season, he was just one of six NBA players to play all 82 games last year. This season is no exception, as he has played in all 30 games for the Wizards, averaging 11.9 points and eight rebounds for Washington.

Losing Valanciunas this offseason left the Pelicans a major hole in the middle. They addressed this by drafting rookie Yves Missi from the University of Baylor with the 21st pick in the NBA Draft. Missi leads all rookies in double-doubles and total rebounds this year.

Friday’s matchup between the two teams occurs at 7:00 p.m. CST at the Smoothie King Center.

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