Let’s be ready for roughly three more months of rampant trade speculation around the Los Angeles Lakers, who are enjoying a red hot start to the 2026 season.
While the Lakers boast the top record in the NBA — yes, even above those two Western Conference juggernauts we keep hearing about! — few believe that L.A.’s roster is built for a run at this year’s title. The trio of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler could take the Lakers to great heights, but winning playoff games ultimately comes down to the quality of depth around the team’s stars. That’s where the Lakers could take the next step.
Lakers Continue to Be Linked to Doncic’s Former Teammate
One rumor that just won’t die is the Lakers’ potential interest in Dallas Mavericks star P.J. Washington. A 28-year-old forward with versatility on both sides of the floor, Washington is already putting together another strong season and, more notably, has rediscovered his groove as a long-distance shooter. But has the likelihood of a potential trade that sends Washington to L.A. changed since the offseason? Not quite. But what if the Lakers were bold enough to surrender their high-upside rookie guard?
“Unless the Lakers are willing to trade this year’s first-rounder, Cam Carr, they just don’t have the assets to add a plus-value player like Washington for two salary dumps — Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaden Hardy are the presumed return package for Washington — and distant second-rounders,” wrote Heavy NBA insider Sean Deveney.
Dealing Carr, the 24th pick in this year’s draft, would be quite the move, even for an established starter like Washington. It would be a difficult ask for the Lakers front office to trade Carr just months after using their first round pick on him. A 6’5” guard, Carr has explosive potential and could develop into the young, dependable star the Lakers have not had in many years.
L.A. Not Interested in Washington?
Although there has been plenty of Washington-to-L.A. speculation for well over a year, Lakers reporter Khobi Price reported in the offseason that the team would hesitate to trade for Washington because of his weight contract. According to an executive who spoke to Deveney, the Lakers are uninterested in making a move for a potential needle-moving star at this time anyway.
“That would be a significant trade for the Lakers, adding someone like PJ Washington,” the executive said, “and I don’t think they’re looking at doing really significant moves just yet. They are being more methodical than that.”
That approach sure seems wise at this particular time. The Lakers are 10-2 and lead the Western Conference; waiting until the trade deadline to get close to make any move appears to be the best way to go. Now, if L.A. was hovering around .500 or worse, we would be having a different conversation.
Of course, everything comes back to what the Lakers have in their war chest, or lack thereof.
With only one first round pick swap (2032) and three second round picks at their disposal, the Lakers don’t possess the sheer draft capital to pick out any star to pursue in a trade. Perhaps these assets plus Carr would be enough to acquire Washington, who was one of the central components of the Doncic-led Mavs who marched to the 2024 NBA Finals.
Lakers 6’5″ Rookie Expected to Be in Potential Trade Package for $90M Star