It has become a popular parlor game among those rooting for and observing the Los Angeles Lakers these days to suppose that the purple-and-gold are just one trade away from firming up their depth and accelerating their ascent to the top of the league. There has also been a long-standing presumption that when the Lakers want to make a trade or, in the case of the roster as it stands now, need to make a trade, the rest of the NBA will bow down and make it happen. This seems to be what’s going on with the Mavericks and PJ Washington.
As we saw this summer, with the Lakers attempting to bring in Jonathan Kuminga with no real luck, the NBA does not bend to the will of the Lakers quite like it did for decades going back to the late 1960s. Obviously, the Lakers can make trades and get deals done, but they need to provide assets in those deals, the trade for Luka Doncic notwithstanding. Fact is, the Lakers do not have many assets to offer up these days.
Still, there are persistent rumors that the Lakers could bring in PJ Washington, the former Luke Doncic teammate from the Mavericks. There’s some logic there, because the Mavericks have weighed trading both Washington and center Daniel Gafford in an effort to get younger around star guard Cooper Flagg. Washington has four years and $89 million on his contract, which diminishes his value, as teams do not want to take on that kind of commitment.
One NBA executive told Heavy Sports during the previous wave of Washington rumors over the summer, “It’s hard to take on that contract. Unless you’re getting rid of a four-year deal in return. It’s too much for him, it’s a trade-killer.”
It would be a lot of incoming cash for a Lakers payroll that is already getting crowded, with $170 million committed to seven players. Adding Washington would push that to $191 million for eight players.
We’re still a long way from the NBA trade deadline, but so far at least, there are no indications that the Mavericks and Lakers had talked about a deal for Washington or anyone. That was the case entering the season, and not much has changed–the Lakers’ only trade pursuit at this time is finding a backup center, not adding another forward.
Remember, all the Lakers really have to offer as incentives are future second-round picks–two from Washington in 2031 and 2032, and their own in 2033. They would have to package together players like Jarred Vanderbilt (who has a $13 million player option next year that no team really wants) and the expiring contract of Jaden Hardy. There is not much else for the Lakers to offer.
And the Lakers are still early in the process of building the roster.
“That would be a significant trade for the Lakers, adding someone like PJ Washington, and I don’t think they’re looking at doing really significant moves just yet,” one Western Conference executive said. “They are being more methodical than that.”
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