The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to PJ Washington of the Dallas Mavericks as a top trade target for seemingly the entire time Luka Doncic has been on the team. But while Washington might be an ideal fit playing in the Purple and Gold, the thought of the wing becoming the next Lakers’ power forward still doesn’t feel like a realistic move.
Washington is in the first season of a four-year, $88 million contract, and just based on that alone, it would be tough for the Lakers to send back a big enough package back to the Mavericks for them to be interested.
Even more, with Dallas’ reported unwillingness to do another trade with the Lakers, plus the team’s strong start to the season led by Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks might just want to keep what they have together for the time being.
Though the Lakers might see Washington as an ideal trade target, and there have been links in the past, it might be a fleeting thought, thinking he’ll be playing in Southern California anytime soon.
Lakers Get Bad News On PJ Washington Trade Pursuit
Despite the major links between the Lakers and Washington for roughly the past 18 months due to his previous experience playing with Doncic and him being a great option to fill Los Angeles’ hole in the starting lineup, a deal at this point doesn’t make a ton of sense.
Dallas is 7-4 and playing well. Washington is having another strong season, and he has been solid on the court with Flagg. The Mavericks don’t seem too interested in moving Irving, and if that’s the case, it’s hard to see Washington becoming available, especially to a team like the Lakers.
“For all those that have an ongoing fascination with bringing in any of Luka’s old buddies, why would the Mavericks even consider the thought if they keep stable and keep winning?” Svyatoslav Rovenchuk asked, talking about both Washington and Daniel Gafford as Lakers trade targets.
“The likes P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford have regularly been brought up as names the Lakers should target. To a lesser degree, Naji Marshall is among that bunch too. There would be little motivation for the Mavericks to move any of those guys if they are not sellers by the trade deadline,” he added.
“Despite being in constant trade chatter, Washington has come in and started all 11 games for the Mavericks as well. The veteran forward has functioned well beside Cooper Flagg thus far. P.J. is even enjoying a bounce-back campaign as a shooter, knocking down 35.6 percent from deep on 6.6 attempts per game after only shooting 32.5 percent on 4.2 attempts a night last season.”
Additionally, as it relates to Washington’s contract, it just seems too expensive for the Lakers at this point. A source told Heavy’s Sean Deveney exactly that, and despite him being the ideal player Los Angeles could use this season, tacking on his $20 million a year for the rest of the decade doesn’t look like it’s in the cards.
The Lakers committed to a star trio of Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler. They can’t afford to pay someone else big money unless the new ownership group makes drastic changes to the team’s spending plans.
Los Angeles Can Pivot With The Mavericks PF Still In Mind
Until a report stating the Mavericks won’t trade Washington to the Lakers emerges, he’ll likely still be named a top target for the team.
Rightfully so, as mentioned by team reporter Jovan Buha.
“I just think PJ, for what the Lakers specifically need, we’re talking about a bigger wing, a guy who can battle in the paint, a guy who could battle on the glass, a guy who can also space the floor and be an off-ball threat,” he said on the Lakers Collective podcast.
“PJ, to me, it’s like that’s the thing that changes the Lakers’ upside, in my opinion, more than even the backup five.”
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However, if he is off the table for Los Angeles, the team will likely go after another player on a cheaper contract who offers a similar skill set to the Mavericks’ starting power forward.
“Players like Washington don’t grow on trees, nor are they necessarily cheap. The Lakers’ front office will need to flex its player evaluation muscles to find a player on the rise who can grow into a Washington-type, and fast,” Collin Keane discussed.
“What the Lakers need to do is look around the league and identify players who they think could become P.J. Washington-esque in their system, boosted by the contagious greatness of Doncic. Finding that player in the next year or two, as well as a backup center, are non-negotiables if this team wants to contend.”
Finding an athletic forward who can shoot and attack the rim either in the trade or free agency is going to be difficult for the Lakers, but with Washington seemingly off the table, it’s likely the team’s best route to replacing what he could bring to the team.
Ever since the Lakers traded for Doncic, the front office has been trying to build the type of roster the Mavericks had around the Slovenian, that’s why so many Dallas players have been named top trade targets for Los Angeles.
Regardless, Rob Pelinka is going to need to get creative if he wants to make a trade to upgrade the supporting cast. It doesn’t look like that is Washington, but the Lakers have plenty of other names to go after ahead of the February trade deadline.
Lakers PJ Washington Trade Pursuit Gets Bad News Despite PF Ideal Target