The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked in trade rumors to both PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks over the 2026 NBA offseason in hopes of making a deal to land a new starting power forward for the upcoming season, and the latest news could signal that a deal could be closer and easier than ever before.
The Mavericks recently announced they have officially signed forward Dwight Powell to a new contract extension, and though it’s just for training camp, insider Marc Stein reported there’s a real chance he ends up on the final roster.
With that, the Mavericks have a growing issue at the power forward position, as they now have eight players who could fill that role alongside Cooper Flagg. As the Lakers have been linked with a trade to add one of their forwards to round out their starting lineup, the Powell signing only makes the idea of Dallas moving on from one of their players on the depth chart more likely.
Lakers Could Be Closer To A Power Forward Trade With Mavericks
The news of the Mavericks signing Powell should be good news for the Lakers as the franchise continues to search for a starting power forward next season.
“The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed center Dwight Powell. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed,” the Mavericks wrote in an official statement. “Powell (6-10, 240) is a 12-year veteran with career averages of 6.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 17.5 minutes per game in 768 games (266 starts) with Boston and Dallas.”
Los Angeles has been linked to Washington and Gafford, two players who could be on the way out as Dallas now has half of their roster filled up by wings.
“I do think (the Mavs) are open to trading veterans like P.J. Washington…like Daniel Gafford for the right price. What is that price? The Mavericks — it dates back to a different front office regime — they’ve been asking for a first-round pick for Daniel Gafford for a while now. I’m sure it’s roughly similar value for P.J. Washington,” NBA insider Jake Fischer said earlier in the summer.
There have been Lakers trade ideas for both Washington and Gafford that include sending back Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, and a second-round pick back to the Mavericks. That trade package could work for both sides, as Los Angeles is reportedly interested in moving on from those two and getting a new power forward, while Dallas could use the shooting of Knecht and the expiring contract of Vanderbilt to continue to build around Flagg.
Heavy.com has previously reported that the Mavericks’ decision to bring back Naji Marshall on a new contract extension opens the door on the idea of the Lakers trading for one of their forwards, and the Powell signing only makes that a more realistic possibility.
Reports in the past did signal the Mavericks don’t have interest in another deal with the Lakers after trading Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, but if the Purple and Gold could sweeten the pot, perhaps general manager Rob Pelinka could work some more magic and find a way to bring in a new starting power forward from a team that clearly doesn’t need all of them they currently have on the roster.
Did Rob Pelinka And JJ Redick Give Any Hints At LA’s Next Move
It remains to be seen if the Lakers and Mavericks could agree on a trade for Washington, Gafford, or another one of their power forwards.
However, based on what is known is that the Lakers are still interested in filling out the starting lineup and potentially making a ‘2 for 1’ trade, according to both Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick speaking at a recent team press conference.
As for the starting lineup, Redick stated that three of the spots are filled (presumably for Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler), but there are still two open ones.
“I’m pretty confident in three of the spots,” Redick said. “The other two spots will not be two white guys. Those are the two things that’s not changing.”
Regardless of Redick’s joke, it’s clear the Lakers are still looking at options, and while also including Pelinka’s comments on making another trade, adding someone like Washington, Gafford, or someone else from Dallas can’t be ruled out.
“Behind that evaluation of who’s emerging in camp, there’s also consolidation trades that could still be looked at — trading two guys out, bringing one in,” he said. “There’s a number of ways that that could be addressed.”
As mentioned, Knecht and Vanderbilt could be the players Los Angeles ends up moving to get under the 15-man roster limit. Jaden Hardy or someone else could also be on the table, as it feels like the Lakers would need to sweeten the pot to get the Mavericks to budge on giving up one of their forwards.
For now, the Lakers reportedly remain interested in Washington and Gafford, but the links are still just trade rumors for the time being. Los Angeles could make a deal before the start of the season, but it likely won’t happen until they know the kind of talent and candidates to fill the starting lineup they have, which will be determined during training camp next week.
Lakers PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford Trade Now Within Reach After Mavericks Signing