$30,000,000 Wizards center reveals unusual way of tackling trade rumors with Warriors, Lakers in the market

Heading into the Feb. 6 NBA Trade Deadline, Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas has reportedly been one of the most sought-after players in the league. With teams like the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers both eager to acquire a big man with Valanciunas' talents, rumors have continued to surround the veteran.

The big question, of course, is whether either team can meet Washington's asking price for Valanciunas, who agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal with the Wizards in a sign-and-trade with the Pelicans this past offseason.

From his beginnings in Toronto to his three-year stints in Memphis and New Orleans, and now his 38 games in Washington, Jonas Valanciunas has learned to roll with the punches while delivering the kind of consistency that attracts the attention of championship hopefuls like LA and Golden State.

During an interview with The Athletic, Valanciunas spoke about the trade rumors while opening up on how he handles the noise. Despite the fact that with each passing day, new trade rumors are popping up around the league, the big man indicated that he's simply focusing on playing his best.

“Shut my phone off. Talk with my people, not outside people. People I know. To be honest, it’s a part of the deal. You see what’s out there. You expect everything and you just do your job. That doesn’t change. Whatever happens, it will happen.

“I just come in every day, work. Every game, I play 100 percent. That’s all I can do. That’s all I do. It’s above me. I have no control in that.”

Looking at the latest trade news surrounding Wizards Center Jonas Valanciunas with just weeks to go until the NBA Trade Deadline

With the NBA Trade Deadline approaching on Feb. 6, and rumors flying every which direction surrounding his future with the franchise, there's no guarantee that Jonas Valanciunas will be on the Wizards come Thursday, let alone by Feb. 6.

Ahead of Washington's game against the Suns on Thursday, the latest trade news surrounding Jonas Valanciunas has shed further light on his value. According to David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic:

“One league source, whose team is not currently involved with the Wizards in discussions about Valančiūnas, believes that two second-rounders will wind up being the maximum Washington can get for him.”

Beginning next season, the Lakers own all of their first and second-round picks over the next five years while on the flip side, Golden State holds their own first-round picks through 2030.

Given the report, it sounds as though both teams could put together a package with two first-round picks while avoiding the Stepien rule, in order to entice the Wizards.

With LA now sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference, and Golden State sitting in 12th, it seems clear that if either team wants to make a deep playoff push, they will have to be active between now and the Feb. 6 deadline.